EC rules out local govt polls this year

The Election Commission (EC) today said it will not hold local government elections in November and December this year.

The commission also cancelled the law-and-order meeting scheduled for today, noting that discussions on the country’s security situation had already been held last Wednesday with heads of 27 ministries and divisions, including law enforcement agencies.

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It further announced the cancellation of stakeholder talks with political parties, originally scheduled for September 23-25, after tentative polling dates were pushed back following government objections that it had not been consulted on union parishad election dates.

EC Abdur Rahmanel Masud told The Daily Star this afternoon at his office in Agargaon, Dhaka, that preparations for local govt polls had initially been taken with October in mind. On August 25, the EC said it planned to hold the elections in November.

Asked about the timeline, Masud said, “I can assume that the local government election is not happening in November and December.” He added, “They assumed then it would be January. I also said it could be, but that was only an estimation. Nothing has been finalised yet.”

He noted that the Local Government Division would inform the commission soon. “We have clearly asked them to let us know,” he said.