Dhaka, Nov 8 (Just News): Despite protest of opposition alliance Jatiya Oikya Front, the Election Commission on Thursday announced the schedule for the 11th parliamentary elections fixing the polling date on December 23.
The chief election commissioner, KM Nurul Huda, in his address to the nation, said that the last date of filing nomination papers by the candidates is November 19 and the returning officers will scrutinise the nomination papers on November 22. The last date of withdrawal of nomination papers is November 29, he said.
The CEC said that the candidates will be allowed to file nomination papers online for the first time.
The CEC said that the commission is planning to use electronic voting machines in the general election for the first time in a small scale in city areas.
He also said troops will be deployed in election activities in aid of civil administration.
Nurul Huda urged the political parties to resolve political crisis politically.
He called on the political parties to contest the national elections to uphold the continuation of democratic practices and development.
The CEC urged the political leaders and activists not to breach election code of conduct during the polls.
He said that the commission will appoint about seven lakh people including six lakhs law enforcers. Judicial and executive magistrates will also be appointed in the electoral areas, he said.
On Tuesday, the CEC dismissed the possibility of delaying the announcement of the polls schedule, saying that polling date might be delayed if political parties agreed.
On Monday, Jatiya Oikya Front leaders during a heated exchange urged the commission not to announce the schedule until the outcome of ongoing dialogue between the ruling alliance and the front was visible.
On November 4, election commissioner Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury told a press conference that the commission decided to announce the polls schedule on November 8 considering everything.
He said that the commission also decided to use electronic voting machines on a limited scale in the 11th parliamentary elections.
Separate delegations of the ruling Awami League, the Jatiya Party-led Sammilita Jatiya Jote and the Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh-led Jukta Front demanded not to defer the announcement of the polls schedule.
The countdown to the 11th parliamentary elections began on October 31 as the constitution stipulated that parliamentary polls had to be held within 90 days before the expiry of the five-year tenure of parliament.
The tenure of the 10th parliament will expire on January 28, as it went into the first session on January 29, 2014.
The 10th parliamentary elections were held on January 5, 2014, amid boycott by all opposition parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, demanding restoration of non-party election-time caretaker government system.
According to the EC officials, the EC already finalised about 40,000 polling centers across the country.
They said that currently there are 10,41,42,381 voters in the country.
In the last parliamentary election held on January 5, 2014 the number was 9,19,65,167.
They said that the EC has approved an estimated budget of Tk 700 crore to hold the 11th parliamentary elections.
(Justnews/ys/1939hr)
