Election Commission plans voting in 1,050 unions in first phase

The Election Commission (EC) is preparing to begin election activities in the country’s local government bodies. With the long-awaited union parishad elections in view, the commission plans to hold voting in 1,050 unions in the first phase.

The plan is to move ahead giving priority to unions in upazila headquarters areas. At the same time, work is under way to verify the list of unions suitable for election, resolve legal complications, and fix the schedule for holding the votes.

Speaking to journalists at the EC Secretariat on Sunday, the commission’s senior secretary Akhtar Ahmed said the first phase is planned for 1,050 unions.

He said the first phase is planned for 1,050 unions, with priority given to unions in upazila headquarters areas. However, the election date, the full list of unions, and the schedule for later phases have not yet been finalised.

Voting in about 4,500 unions in five phases: in its plan to hold local government elections, the commission is giving first priority to union parishads. In the plan announced on October 12, elections in about 4,500 union parishads were to be held in five phases. At that time, the first phase was planned for 815 unions in 80 upazilas on January 21, 2027.

Earlier, after a preparatory meeting on September 14, an initial plan had emerged to hold union parishad elections in seven phases. Since then, the number of unions in the first phase and the election plan have changed. As a result, it is important to be certain about the number of unions, the phases, and the voting dates before the final schedule is published.

The Election Commission plans to complete elections in about 4,300 union parishads by May 27 next year. To that end, it has announced a roadmap to hold the votes in five phases instead of seven. The first phase will be held on January 21, 2027, followed by the remaining four phases on February 4, April 29, May 13, and May 27.

Election Commissioner Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah shared this information with journalists after the commission’s 13th meeting on Monday, October 12. Earlier, a meeting was held in the commission’s meeting room at 10:30am chaired by Chief Election Commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin, where the union parishad election schedule, the number of phases, and the plan for conducting the elections were discussed.

At the briefing, Commissioner Sanaullah said the number of phases had been reduced from seven to five in view of the shortage of time. Under the fixed schedule, the first phase will be held on January 21, the second on February 4, the third on April 29, the fourth on May 13, and the fifth on May 27.

Priority to headquarters-area unions: the Election Commission plans to give priority to unions in upazila headquarters areas in the first phase. In this regard, the unions’ election terms, voter lists, administrative preparations, and boundary complications will have to be considered.

The unions suitable for election will be determined in coordination with district and upazila election officers. District election officers have been asked to verify the names of union parishads, election eligibility, boundary problems, court cases, and information on changes to voter lists.

Law amendment and election preparation: existing laws and rules play an important role in conducting local government elections. The Local Government (Union Parishad) Act, 2010 and the relevant election rules apply to union parishad elections.

The Election Commission has prepared proposals to amend several laws relating to the conduct of elections in local government bodies. The commission said in September that these proposals had been sent to the Law Ministry.

EVMs dropped, traditional voting: EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said it has been decided not to use electronic voting machines (EVMs) in any future election. However, no final decision has yet been taken on the future of the unused EVMs currently held by the commission.

Citizen data collection from age six: the EC secretary also spoke of a plan to broaden the citizen information system. As part of this plan, the commission is considering an initiative to collect citizens’ information from the age of six, though details of the collection method, when the work will start, and how it will be coordinated with the existing citizen information system have not been given.

Elections in five types of local government bodies: Bangladesh’s local government system comprises union parishads, upazila parishads, district councils, municipalities, and city corporations. The Election Commission’s plan gives first priority to union parishad elections, with elections for the other local government bodies to follow depending on the situation and preparations.

Awaiting the final schedule: the plan to hold voting in 1,050 unions in the first phase signals new progress in preparations for local government elections. But since the number of phases and unions in the commission’s plans published at different times has changed, the final schedule has become all the more important.