The Election Commission is preparing to hold several pending elections, including reserved women’s seats and key by-polls, before moving ahead with local government elections.
Officials said the commission will first complete the Bogura-6 by-election and the rescheduled poll in Sherpur-3, both set for April 9. After that, attention will shift to city corporation and union council elections.
However, no clear timeline has been fixed yet for local polls. The Election Commission is waiting for guidance from the new government and parliament before making further decisions.
Earlier, the previous interim government had instructed the commission to arrange elections for Dhaka North City Corporation, Dhaka South City Corporation and Chattogram City Corporation. The terms of these city corporations have already expired, making elections necessary under existing laws.
EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said the commission is not ignoring earlier instructions but must set priorities based on the current situation.
He explained that local government elections involve several complexities, including legal changes on the use of party symbols, boundary adjustments and preparation of updated voter lists.
Another EC official, Abdur Rahmanel Masud, said the provision allowing party symbols in local polls has been removed through an ordinance. Whether it remains in place now depends on parliament’s decision.
Officials said the timing of local elections, especially in Dhaka’s two city corporations, will largely depend on whether parliament approves or changes the ordinance.
For now, the commission is focusing on completing the upcoming by-polls while waiting for clear direction from lawmakers before announcing the schedule for local government elections.
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