EC to unveil its position on UZ, JS polls Sunday CEC

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda has said his office will formally roll out its plans on Upazila and Parliamentary elections Sunday, report, UNBbdnews24.com.brWe're thinking of a possible date for the general election but it is not possible to declare the polls schedule right at this moment, he told the journalists Wednesday after opening a training programme for field-level election officials at Local Government Training Institute in the city Wednesday.brThe two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) programme aims to train up those who would coach field-level officials, returning officers and Upazila polls officials at the EC Secretariat. brThe Election Commission will need to send the final voter list to political parties and candidates immediately after announcement of the schedule. But the lists are yet to be finalised, Huda said. brHowever, we are contemplating a probable date. brAccording the EC's roadmap, the final countrywide voter list is to be ready by October, the schedule for national election is to be announced in the first week of November, and to be held in the third week of December. brHuda said they would brief the media on the outcome of the third-round electoral dialogue with the political parties, and their position on the national and Upazila elections on Sunday. brOn the dialogue with the BNP that skipped the talks, he said We hope to have talks with the party soon. brThe elections chief said the procedure for release of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia is almost complete. The commission has sent letter inviting BNP to the dialogue. We have heard that the party chief has already secured bail in all cases. brWe hope there is no problem to [their joining] the dialogue now, he said. brEarlier, speaking at the programme, Huda said No unwanted person or group will be allowed to intervene in the elections. brWe want to stage a free and fair election. No unlawful action will be allowed in the elections. We want to establish the rule of law. brWe should be careful so that nobody could taint the image and goodwill of the commission. brAddressing the returning officers, he said The returning boss is the 'supreme boss' in the elections. No person or even an army officer has right to disobey him. brA returning officer can seek assistance from the election commissioners or Election Commission secretary, if necessary, he said. brThe chief election commissioner asked the returning officers not to listen to any suggestions from any organisations or persons. brHuda stressed on their following electoral rules and regulations. All should work in line with the existing laws. brHe also asked them to carefully examine nomination papers to stop unwanted and unqualified persons from contesting the polls. brHuda also urged the returning officers to be careful in counting votes. brYou must be careful so that nobody can steal or conceal ballot papers. brThe government and the political parties were assisting the commission in holding a proper election, he told the Upazila polls officials.