Bangladesh EC says holding local polls first will delay national elections

Dhaka, March 18 (IANS) The Bangladesh Election Commission (EC) has warned that holding local government polls before the national election would delay the parliamentary polls.

Opposing the proposal to complete national and all local government polls within a four-month timeframe, the EC has stated that local elections alone take nearly a year to complete as these polls are held in phases.

The EC on Monday sent its opinions to the National Consensus Commission of Bangladesh, opposing a number of reform proposals related to the election. "Addressing Ali Riaz (Vice-Chair of the National Consensus Commission), we have sent our opinions, expressing different views over some proposals," EC Senior secretary Akhtar Ahmed was quoted as saying by the Bangladeshi media outlet UNB.

Country's leading newspaper Daily Star reported that EC has objected to a number of reform proposals, including those on the delimitation of constituencies, the timing of local government polls and the national election, and investigations against election commissioners.

"Additionally, the EC opposed the proposed Election Commission Ordinance 2025, which seeks to introduce criminal liability for election commissioners for failing to ensure fair elections. EC stated that this provision would erode the commissioners' independence and expose them to political pressure," the newspaper reported.

Earlier this month, the Election Commission of Bangladesh stated that it will not be possible to hold local elections before national elections. The statement came at a time when major political parties in Bangladesh were at loggerheads over which election to have first.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has also expressed doubts about the possibility of national parliamentary elections being held in December. The party's senior leaders believe that a "conspiracy" is underway to delay the polls, allegedly from within the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.

Last week, the BNP Chairperson's Advisory Council member Zainul Abedin Farroque accused the National Citizen Party (NCP) of creating chaos to delay the national election.

The much-flaunted unity of various political outfits in Bangladesh, which was on full display during the ousting of the democratically-elected Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, seems to be fading gradually. As the country plunged into crisis over the last seven months, several political leaders who had earlier backed Yunus are now criticising him openly, especially over the long delay that has been witnessed in holding national elections.