The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday said that online campaigning for the 13th National Parliamentary Election and referendum will be allowed and will not be considered a violation of the electoral code of conduct.
Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah made the remarks at a press conference held at the EC building in Agargaon in the capital.
He said polling will take place in 299 constituencies, with voting suspended in one seat.
Voters who are present within polling centre premises after the official closing time of 4:30pm will still be allowed to cast their ballots.
According to the EC, a total of 2,028 candidates are contesting the election, including 81 women.
Voting will be held at 42,659 polling centres across the country, of which nearly half have been identified as ‘vulnerabler’ or high-risk. The total number of registered voters exceeds 12.77 crore.
Sanaullah said around 7,30,000 postal ballots had been received as of Tuesday morning. To maintain law and order, 9.58 lakh members of law enforcement agencies have been deployed, alongside 2,100 executive magistrates and 957 judicial magistrates.
The EC has strengthened monitoring measures by deploying drones, body-worn cameras and CCTV surveillance, with more than 90 percent of polling centres under CCTV camera coverage.
Over 5 lakh polling officials will be on duty. Distribution of ballot papers and other election materials will begin on Wednesday and is expected to be completed by evening.
On election day, the commission will conduct four briefings, he said, adding that the use of mobile phones inside voting booths will be prohibited.
Votes for the parliamentary election and the referendum will be counted simultaneously, with most results expected to be available on the same night. The referendum result will be determined based on a nationwide majority.
So far, 9,700 media workers have been registered with the Election Commission, and 156 foreign journalists are expected to observe the elections.
Replying to questions from journalists, Sanaullah said vote counting should not be rushed, noting that overseas postal ballots include more than 100 symbols, which may require additional time for tabulation.
He added that the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has been asked to closely monitor the flow of illicit money during the election.
Voting for the 13th National Parliamentary Election and referendum will be held on 12 February from 7:30am to 4:30pm.
