interim government on Wednesday announced that no official who served in any significant capacity, including returning officers and assistant returning officers, during the last three national elections would be engaged in the upcoming parliamentary election.
The decision came from a high-level meeting on election preparations presided over by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna.
Briefing reporters at the Foreign Service Academy, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said the meeting mainly focused on four issues posting of field-level officials, countering misinformation and disinformation on social media, training of election officials, and ensuring security during the election period.
The meeting emphasised that no official involved in any of the last three national elections should be posted as deputy commissioner, additional district commissioner, upazila nirbahi officer, district magistrate, or in any magisterial role during the next election process.
“The officials who acted as returning officers, polling officers, or assistant returning officers in the last three elections even if they played a minimal role should not be engaged this time,” said Shafiqul Alam, referring to the meeting’s decisions.
He said the Election Commission has already taken significant steps in this regard and is working to exclude such officials from the election process.
The press secretary added that the meeting discussed detailed criteria for posting officials, considering factors such as administrative competence, physical and professional fitness, previous postings, political background, and any relevant media reports.
He said the postings would be made randomly, prioritising suitability for specific areas while ensuring officials are not assigned to their home districts or to regions where their spouses or relatives reside, in order to avoid conflicts of interest.
“The most competent officers will be posted to the most vulnerable areas, and there will be random selection,” Shafiqul said.
Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury informed the meeting that a list of eligible officials had already been prepared and 64 key personnel identified for suitable postings.
The meeting also stressed the importance of maintaining strict neutrality in all administrative postings ahead of the election.
Detailed discussions were held on nationwide security deployment, including the participation of around 92,500 army and navy personnel during the polls. Of them, 90,000 army members will be deployed, with one army company assigned to each upazila.
The meeting also discussed training programmes such as body-worn camera training and postal balloting arrangements for expatriate Bangladeshis, election officials, and inmates.
The Chief Adviser instructed authorities to make training videos available on the Election Commission’s website and state media, with all preparations to be completed by November 15.
Among those present at the meeting were Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman, Chief Adviser’s Special Assistants Lieutenant General (retd) Abdul Hafiz for Defence and National Solidarity Development and Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb for ICT Affairs, Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid, Principal Secretary Siraz Uddin Miah, Election Commission Secretary Akhter Ahmed, Home Secretary Nasimul Gani, Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division Lieutenant General SM Kamrul Hassan, Inspector General of Police
