The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Election to Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) will be held in the last week of August or first week of September, Election Commissioner Sakhawat Hussain said Sunday. Elections for Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet and Barisal City Corporations and nine municipalities will be held earlier, in the third week of July, he informed reporters at his office in the afternoon. He said poll schedules for Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet and Barisal City Corporations and the nine municipalities would be announced in the first week of June.

"Election to DCC will be held separately in August or September," he said.

Meanwhile, Canada is providing the Election Commission 2 lakh transparent ballot boxes free of cost to use in the national elections, Sakhawat said.

As part of the poll preparations, the EC has asked the election offices concerned for the names of potential vote centres and presiding officers for the national elections, tentatively set for the third week of December.

"The task of voter listing is on in Dhaka City Corporation areas. We're expecting that the draft voter list (of DCC) will be ready at the end of this month (May). Election to Dhaka City Corporation will be held end of August or in the first week of September," he told the reporters.

"As election can't be held when HSC examinations are on, election schedule for the four city corporations and nine municipalities will be announced in the first week of June and election at those places will take place in the second or third week of July," the Election Commissioner said.

Sakhawat said election would also be held at those places where voter list would be completed before announcing the election schedule in June.

So, the number of nine municipalities could increase o the list of holding elections in July. "But, election won't be held at places where municipality election is suspended due to legal cases in the courts," he said.

About holding local-body elections prior to national elections, the Election Commissioner said the local elections have importance for national elections. "It's a test case for the Election Commission… Preparations are going on in the Commission to implement the Chief Adviser's declaration that national elections will be held in the third week of December," he said.

Already, seven-crore voters have been registered, Sakhawat said, adding that hopefully the task of voter listing would complete by October across the country.

"Schedules for the local-body elections will be announced in the first week of June. Before that, it has been expected that the new local-body ordinance for city corporation and municipality elections will be published as gazette. The election schedule will be announced after getting the gazette of the law and its rules in hand," he said about the local elections.

About transparent ballot box, the Election Commissioner said the Canadian government is providing the EC two-lakh transparent ballot boxes of large size for free, which, hopefully, would reach here before October.

"If the boxes come earlier, then it will be used in DCC elections," he said.

About the preparation for the general election, Sakhawat said the officials concerned at field level had already been asked to send the lists of vote centres and presiding officers from across the country. "If any individual, party or public representative places objection regarding the lists, then the Election Commission will scrutinise ardently," he said.