The outgoing Chief Election Commissioner, AMM Nasir Uddin of Bangladesh said ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League is likely to join the polls unless the government or the judiciary banned the party from participating.
During a meeting of election officials on Monday, held at Chittagong Circuit House, said according to newspaper the Dhaka Tribune.
Nasir Uddin also assured that the Election Commission runs with complete independence and faces no external pressure.
"We are committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure a fair and transparent election," he added.
The CEC further admitted to the problem of fake voters who participated in some of the earlier elections and contributed to a downturn in voter registration through mistrust of the whole process. Plans have been aired for an upgrading of the list soon.
"The voter list will be updated within the next six months. This time, elections won't follow patterns of the previous times. Significant progress has been made since August 5, in fostering a national consensus regarding electoral matters, he added.In the meeting, the CEC provided detailed guidelines on voter list updates and preparedness for the upcoming national elections.
A few days back, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party of former prime minister Khaleda Zia stated that Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus's suggestion to make the minimum voting age 17 was bound to put pressure on the Election Commission and delay the election process.
Yunus, 84, who was sworn-in to lead the interim government after the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August, had suggested that the minimum voter age should be lowered to 17 years.
Elections may be held by early 2026, Yunus indicated while delivering his Victory Day speech on December 16.
"Broadly speaking, the election can be scheduled between the end of 2025 and the first half of 2026," he said. Yunus said that the elections would be held after updating the voters' list.
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