The Election Commission will decide on holding local government elections after assessing ground realities, EC Senior Secretary Akhter Ahmed said on Thursday.
He said preparations were already under way, with the voter list ready, necessary election materials available and polling centres prepared.
Akhter made the remarks while briefing journalists after a meeting between Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin and a UNESCO delegation at the Election Commission headquarters.
“We have to understand the local realities. These include the SSC examinations, Ramadan, various religious festivals and national events. We will come up with a proper solution after taking these issues into consideration,” he said.
Asked about the election schedule, Akhter said the state minister for local government had spoken about holding local government elections between January and June.
“We have received a good reference. Based on that, we may be able to move forward with the remaining work,” he said.
He added that he would inform the commission about the matter and provide the necessary reference.
On the meeting with the UNESCO delegation, Akhter said the commission had a project with the United Nations Development Programme related to ballots.
“The project includes arrangements for training. The delegation came to discuss with the CEC how different issues could be incorporated into their training programme and how their work plan could be advanced,” he said.
He said discussions were also held on arranging training for media personnel, members of law enforcement agencies, Election Commission Secretariat officials and field-level election officials.
Akhter said an inter-ministerial meeting was held on 17 September, where various opinions and proposals were presented, including suggestions on the election timetable.
“Our colleagues have also made various proposals. Therefore, I do not think we can reach a conclusive decision based solely on those proposals at this stage,” he said.
