The long-delayed election of the Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) remains unresolved due to ongoing legal disputes and conflicting regulatory frameworks, leaving the influential business body under prolonged administrative control.
The chamber’s last competitive election was held on 30 March 2013. Since then, leadership has largely been formed without contest. Following the political change after the August 2024 mass uprising, the organisation has been run by government-appointed administrators instead of an elected board.
Efforts to hold elections have repeatedly failed, with at least five postponements caused by legal challenges filed in the High Court and the FBCCI Arbitration Tribunal over voter lists, membership categories and electoral procedures.
In a recent development, the FBCCI Arbitration Tribunal on 22 April cancelled the previously announced election schedule and directed authorities to announce a fresh one. However, the move has not resolved the deadlock.
The core complication lies in a conflict between the Trade Organizations Act 2022 and Trade Organizations Rules 2025 and the chamber’s existing Articles of Association. While the new legal framework mandates direct elections through secret ballots for all posts, the chamber’s constitution still allows indirect elections for some positions.
This mismatch has created a legal impasse. Officials say any amendment to the Articles of Association would require an elected board, which is currently absent. At the same time, conducting elections under the existing rules risks violating the updated law.
“This has created a situation where neither option is fully workable,” officials familiar with the process said, adding that the chamber is effectively awaiting judicial clarification.
The dispute has also been fuelled by disagreements over voter lists, membership classification and the inclusion of different trade groups and town associations. Although the tribunal dismissed several petitions challenging the process, it still ordered a fresh election schedule to ensure transparency.
The chamber currently has around 6,780 members across four categories – general, associate, town associations and trade groups. Under its structure, a 24-member board of directors is to be elected, which in turn selects the president, senior vice-president and vice-president.
Two panels had earlier prepared for the election scheduled for 4 April: the United Business Forum led by former FBCCI director Amirul Haque and the Samaman Parishad led by former senior vice-president SM Nurul Haque.
The cancellation of the schedule has again pushed the process into uncertainty. Election Board head Monowara Begum said the situation cannot be resolved without legal and constitutional alignment. “It is not possible to hold direct elections without amending the Articles of Association.
But without an elected board, we cannot amend it. Now we are waiting for the Appellate Division’s decision,” she said.
Chamber administrator Md Motaher Hossain could not be reached despite repeated attempts.
