Jahangir Alam, Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat, told Prothom Alo that preparations for the National Parliament elections are currently going on. The schedule of these elections is expected to be announced in mid-November. However, as of now, the Commission has not taken a final decision on the exact date of the elections.
Meanwhile, concerns regarding the election environment have increased in recent times. The issue gained prominence during discussions between political parties and the Election Commission on Saturday, 4 November, ahead of the elections.
That day, the Election Commission invited 43 parties for discussion, but 17 parties, including the BNP, did not participate. Some of the parties involved in the discussion also raised questions on the election environment. Apart from this, there is an atmosphere of uneasiness within the Election Commission itself regarding the current atmosphere of conflict.
Former election commissioner M Sakhawat Hussain believes that this time the pre-poll environment is more complex than any previous election. He told Prothom Alo that the necessary conditions for free, fair, impartial and inclusive elections have not yet been established. Arrests of leaders and members of a major political party are ongoing and if the BNP decides to boycott the elections, the situation could once again be like 2014.
