Voter Registration Open Until 31 July for Local Polls

The Election Commission (EC) has extended the deadline for new voter registration until 31 July, allowing eligible citizens to be included in the electoral roll for the upcoming local government elections, which the constitutional body is aiming to begin in early October.

According to sources familiar with the preparations, the Commission is finalising an election roadmap with the objective of holding long-awaited local government polls after months of administrative planning. The extended voter registration period is intended to ensure that newly eligible voters are not excluded from participating in the first phase of the elections.

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said the Commission had initially planned to close new voter registration on 30 June. However, following recommendations from election officials, the deadline was extended by one month.

“We had intended to keep the opportunity to register as a new voter until 30 June. Later, our officials recommended extending the period, and we approved a new deadline of 31 July,” he said.

Masud added that preparations were underway to begin local government elections from October, although the Commission has yet to receive any formal communication from the government regarding the election schedule.

“We are preparing a work plan to start the elections in October. However, there has been no discussion with the government on this matter so far, and we have not yet received any official letter,” he said.

The Election Commission is also considering the sequence in which different tiers of local government elections will be held. According to Masud, elections for Union Parishads, municipalities and city corporations can be organised without difficulty, but polls for Upazila Parishads and Zila Parishads cannot take place until elections at the lower tiers have been completed.

He explained that members and chairpersons elected to Union Parishads and municipalities serve as part of the electoral structure for higher local government bodies. As a result, elections for Upazila and district councils depend on the prior completion of Union Parishad and municipal polls.

“You can be certain that municipality and Union Parishad elections must be held before we can proceed with Upazila Parishad elections,” he said.

At present, all local government institutions except Union Parishads have been dissolved. Election Commission sources said around 4,000 Union Parishads are expected to be ready for elections by October.

The Commission is now assessing whether the elections should be conducted in several phases and, if so, how much time should separate each phase. Such staggered polling has been a common feature of local government elections in Bangladesh because of logistical requirements and the need to deploy election personnel and law enforcement agencies efficiently.

Officials said the Commission has already completed much of its logistical preparation. Approval has been granted for the budget required to procure ballot paper from the government-owned BG Press, signalling that operational planning is well advanced.

At the same time, work is continuing on the legal framework governing the elections. Stakeholders were invited to submit opinions on the draft code of conduct for local government elections, covering Union Parishads, Upazila Parishads, Zila Parishads, municipalities and city corporations, with the consultation period ending on 30 June.

According to Commission sources, six political parties and five individuals submitted recommendations within the stipulated timeframe. Those proposals are now being reviewed, while the draft election conduct rules are also nearing completion before their formal adoption.

The Election Commission’s preparations have been facilitated by amendments to electoral legislation concerning the voter list. Previously, the final electoral roll was published annually on 2 March to coincide with National Voters’ Day. Following changes to the law, the Commission now has the authority to update and publish the voter list whenever necessary, providing greater flexibility ahead of scheduled elections.

According to the Commission’s latest database, Bangladesh currently has 128,323,240 registered voters. Of them, 65,212,731 are men, 63,109,266 are women and 1,243 are registered as third-gender voters.

With the voter registration deadline now set for 31 July and preparations gathering pace, the Election Commission is moving towards organising the country’s next round of local government elections. The polls are expected to be an important test of the Commission’s administrative readiness as well as an opportunity for newly registered voters to participate in the democratic process for the first time.