The government has formally sent a letter to the Election Commission (EC) requesting that the 13th Parliamentary Election and the national referendum be held on the same day.
The letter instructed the EC to arrange the referendum on the same day as the election and to prepare for organising the referendum accordingly. EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed informed the media of this development on Saturday.
He said, “The government has informed us via letter that holding the referendum is the EC’s responsibility. In this regard, they have asked to hold the national election and the referendum on a single day.”
Akhtar Ahmed stated, “We received this letter last Thursday. It stated that the Election Commission will organise the referendum. The referendum and the national parliamentary election must be held on the same day. The law has not been passed yet. Once the law is enacted, we can proceed with the remaining tasks.”
Amid political disagreements among parties regarding the legal basis of the July Charter and the referendum, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, in his address to the nation on 13 November, announced the plan to hold the election and referendum on a single day. The Cabinet Division sent the letter to the EC one week after his speech.
Speaking at an event in the afternoon, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin said, “No previous Election Commission has faced a situation like this, requiring the election and referendum to be held on the same day.”
“No previous commission had to handle such a level of challenge as the current Election Commission is facing. This is because all processes are being followed according to the law. We have no other option,” he stated.
