A party's registration will be at risk for absenting from polls twice: EC

Election Commission (EC) Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed said on Tuesday if any political party does not participate in two consecutive elections, its registration will be at risk, reports BSS.

"We have sent the proposal of amending the RPO (Representation of the People Order) to the ministry. The ministry will place it before the Cabinet… If approved by the cabinet, it will be sent to parliament," he told reporters at his EC secretariat office at Nirbachan Bhaban in the city's Agargaon area.

Ahmed said, "If the RPO is not amended, we have the preparation to conduct the next parliament polls with the existing RPO."

He said the schedule of the next general election will be declared on any day after October 30 and the Commission is taking necessary preparation in this regard.

"We have received the information of 40,199 voting centers. The returning officers will send the lists of the centers after the declaration of the polls schedule. Later, the lists will be published in a gazette," the EC secretary said.

Ahmed said, "We will start sending the CDs (compact disks) of voter lists to 10 regional offices today. In the first phase, the CD will be sent to Sylhet and Khulna offices and the others will be sent within one week."

Besides, the commission is collecting the information of the polling officers and judicial magistrates who will be on election duty, he said, adding the EC is also taking preparation to impart training to them.

About the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), he said the commission is yet to take any decision whether the EVMs will be used or not. The commission will take decision on this issue after amending the RPO.