Fair polls not possible without govt support: CEC

A free and fair election is not possible without the cooperation of the government no matter how independent the Election Commission is, said Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin yesterday.

The government will need to play a central role in conducting the election, he said while inaugurating a daylong training programme on electoral laws and regulations at the Electoral Training Institute in the capital.

The deployment of law enforcement personnel in the field will also require government support, he said.

Meanwhile, the EC is advancing its preparatory work for the upcoming national polls.

Ahead of the 13th national parliamentary election, the EC has already requested updated information on minor repairs at educational institutions used or likely to be used as polling centres. The commission also approved the policy for setting up polling centres.

As the constitutional body responsible for organising the polls, the commission has emphasised the need to remain fully prepared for the 13th parliamentary election whether it takes place in February or April next year.

The EC has already made significant progress in several key areas, including updating the voter list, finalising parliamentary constituency boundaries and registering new political parties.

The number of voters is expected to be around 12.5 crore, according to the Election Commission.

The EC has not yet received any official communication regarding the joint statement issued in London by the interim government and the BNP, which suggested that the election could be held in the week before Ramadan in the first half of February 2026.

"We are in touch with the government but not daily. The election schedule will be announced on time, and you will be informed once it's finalised."

In response to a question on whether the EC would sit with the government to announce the national election date, he said: "A formal meeting isn't necessary for that. We are already in contact with the government through both formal and informal channels. When the time comes, everyone will know -- there's nothing we are hiding."

Referring to the election plan, he said: "We don't call it a roadmap. Different people use different terms -- some say schedule, others say roadmap. But rather than calling it a roadmap, you can consider it an action plan. We have that in place, and we began working on it quite some time ago."

Akhtar Ahmed, senior secretary of the Election Commission, and other officials were present at the event.