EC plans to hold 1st phase of local govt polls in Oct

The Election Commission (EC) is taking preparations to hold the first phase of local government elections in October next, with the election schedule expected to be announced in August, reports BSS.
"We hope to hold the first phase of the local government elections in October. We also expect to announce the election schedule within August," Election Commissioner Md. Anwarul Islam Sarker told the news agency in an interview on Wednesday.
The EC began preparations for the local government elections immediately after the 13th parliamentary election, he said.
The commissioner said the EC is yet to decide how many phases the elections will be accomplished. However, it aims to complete within the shortest possible time.
He ruled out any possibility of delaying the elections, saying that it was too early to determine whether which election among union, municipality, upazila and city corporation level, will be held first. The sequence will depend on the overall situation, including law and order, he stated. "For administrative convenience, once the election of a particular local government body begins, it is likely to be completed before moving on to another.
However, any court directives or legal obligations will also be taken into consideration," he said.
Responding to a question, Islam said the EC has not made any decision on introducing minimum educational qualifications for local government election candidates.