Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A M M Nasir Uddin has announced that the 13th National Parliamentary Election will be held in the first half of February 2026, with the formal election schedule likely to be declared in early December.
Speaking on Saturday afternoon after a meeting with law enforcement officials at the Rangpur Divisional Commissioner’s conference room, the CEC said there will be zero tolerance for electoral unrest in the upcoming polls.
“If we see serious irregularities in any constituency — whether it’s one center, two centers, or several — we will cancel the entire constituency. If the chaos is too much, we will scrap voting there altogether and hold it another day. We are now working to ensure this is enshrined in law,” Nasir Uddin stated.
The CEC assured that the Election Commission (EC) will take all necessary measures to ensure a free, fair, and credible election, including launching awareness campaigns, engaging the public, and providing guarantees to all stakeholders.
This was Nasir Uddin’s first meeting with field-level administration officials since the formal announcement earlier this month that the next general election will be held before Ramadan. The meeting was attended by the deputy commissioners and superintendents of police from all eight districts of the Rangpur Division.
He also revealed that the EC is currently working on personnel deployment plans and creating a level playing field for all political parties. Measures under consideration include separate queues for male and female voters and even age-based line management at polling centers.
The CEC urged cooperation from the media to ensure transparency and voter participation.
Earlier in the day, he chaired a meeting with electoral officers of the Rangpur Division, where he reiterated that the election schedule will be announced about two months before polling day — most likely in early December.
The afternoon meeting at the Divisional Commissioner’s office was presided over by Rangpur Divisional Commissioner Shahidul Islam. In the morning, the CEC also attended a separate session chaired by Regional Election Officer Md Dulal Talukder.
