Upcoming polls will set tone for Bangladesh's democratic future, says EC

The upcoming polls will play a crucial role in determining the country's future direction and its democratic journey, said Election Commissioner Brigadier General Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah (Retd).

He noted that Bangladesh's electoral process has been significantly damaged in recent years, and the Election Commission is working to restore it.

"But this repair work cannot be done by the commission alone," he said today (3 December) while speaking at the inauguration of a daylong training programme for journalists ahead of the 13th national election.

He said, "In the interest of the nation, we must ensure a good election. Everyone must responsibly carry out their respective duties."

Brigadier General Sanaullah (Retd) also stated that measures have been taken to prevent fake journalists from entering polling centres. "We are introducing a QR code system so that no one can misuse press cards," he said.

Senior Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat Akhtar Ahmed said the upcoming election and the national referendum together constitute a massive undertaking, and one complements the other. He acknowledged public curiosity about the referendum format where there will be four questions but only a single response.

However, he said this approach was discussed by the Advisory Council. "Political parties present long manifestos, sometimes twenty points, and people may not agree with every point, but consider the overall package. The referendum is similar. Citizens will vote after considering the entire package," he explained.

Voting time management

Additionally, the EC is considering extending voting hours for the upcoming elections after a recent mock voting exercise revealed that the process of casting two ballots — for the parliamentary election and the referendum — takes significantly longer than anticipated.

EC Sanaullah disclosed the findings, stating that on average, it takes about one and a half minutes for a voter to follow another in the queue, and once inside the booth, an average voter spends about three minutes and 52 seconds casting their ballot.

"Since ballots will be used in this election, we must be careful about time management," he said. "We conducted a mock voting and found that to maintain a good flow, it takes an average of one and a half minutes for one voter to enter after another."

He noted that voters also took additional time to read the referendum questions. He revealed a disparity in voting times, saying, "Those who stamped without reading finished in two minutes, while those who read the ballot took as long as seven to eight minutes to vote."

Considering these observations, the Election Commissioner confirmed that it is planning to increase the total voting time. A final decision on extending the duration will be made at a commission meeting scheduled for 7 December.

Meanwhile, Akhtar Ahmed emphasised the gravity of the upcoming polls and referendum, saying, "Everyone wants the election of the century. We are in the electoral wave".

Regarding the referendum, he added, "The matter of the referendum is similar. You will cast your vote after looking at the entire package."

The mock voting exercise was organised by the Election Training Institute (ETI) in collaboration with the Reporters Forum for Election and Democracy (RFED).