The Election Commission is set to start its much-talked-about dialogue with political parties on Thursday morning, starting with discussions with six registered parties ahead of the 13th parliamentary election likely to be held in early February 2026.
The Commission has invited 12 registered political parties to attend Thursday’s opening sessions — six parties in the morning session (10:00am-12:00pm) and six others in the afternoon session and (2:00pm-4:00pm).
The six parties invited for the morning session are Liberal Democratic Party-LDP, Bangladesh Congress, Bangladesh Muslim League, National People`s Party, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan and Jamiyate Ulamaye Islam Bangladesh.
The six parties invited for the afternoon session are Communist Party of Bangladesh-CPB, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal-Basod, Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Nationalist Front-BNF and Bangladesh Nationalist Movement-BNM.
The commission, in the invitation letter sent to the political parties, said, “To successfully conduct the massive task of the upcoming national election, it needs opinions, suggestions and cooperation from all the concerned including political parties, eminent academics, intellectuals, civil society members, journalists, election experts, observers and women leaders.”
In this context, the Election Commission has taken preparations to hold dialogues with all concerned. As part of that, views-exchanges will be held with representatives of political parties to receive their well-considered opinions and suggestions (which can also be submitted in writing if necessary), it added.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin will preside over the sessions, while the Election Commissioners will also be present.
However, Gono Odhikar Parishad (GOP) on Wednesday urged the Election Commission (EC) not to invite Jatiya Party and the members of the Awami League-led 14-Party Alliance to its electoral dialogue.
“We request the Election Commission not to invite the Awami League`s allies, the Jatiya Party, and the 14 parties, who participated in the 2024 dummy election and pushed the country towards destruction by legitimising the elections held under Sheikh Hasina, to any dialogue,” GOP General Secretary Md Rashed Khan told reporters after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital.
He said the Jatiya Party and the 14 parties should not be invited to the Election Commission`s dialogue on plea of having registration.
“We asked the Election Commission to hold a dialogue with only those parties that participated in the discussion with the National Consensus Commission. Otherwise, if the allies of fascism get the opportunity to have a dialogue with the Election Commission, it will be a betrayal of the blood of the students and the people,” he said.
The Election Commission has a plan to complete the dialogue with the registered political parties by November 20.
EC senior secretary Akhtar Ahmed on Tuesday told reporters that the commission is holding the dialogue with registered political parties and the names of invitees will be informed in phases.
“The dialogue will be held with registered political parties and further details about the invitees will be announced in phases,” he said replying to a question.
When asked if the dialogue will start on November 13 — the day Awami League has announced a lockdown — he said, “Inshallah, we’ll hold our dialogue on November 13 as planned.”
This time the political parties are being invited in groups due to time constraints before the announcement of the election schedule.
The Election Commission traditionally holds talks with registered political parties before each national election. Each party was usually invited to join the dialogue separately.
The dialogue with political parties is considered the Commission’s last major task before the election schedule to be announced in early December.
Currently, there are 53 registered political parties, excluding the Awami League, whose registration remains suspended.
Besides, the EC recognised three new parties, including NCP, as registered parties.
In late September 2025, the Commission opened a series of electoral dialogues with different stakeholders amid talks with civil society representatives on September 28.
Later, the EC held separate dialogues with the representatives of teachers, senior journalists from different media outlets, election experts and election observers.
In a bid to conduct the next election in a free, participatory and fair manner, the EC sat in a views-exchange with different law enforcement agencies and intelligences on October 20 and with top government officials, including secretaries of key ministries, directors general of important agencies on October 30 last.
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