Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin has said the schedule for local government elections will be announced “soon”.
He revealed the decision on Wednesday during a police training programme designed to enhance professional skills and capacity for electoral duties at the Police Auditorium.
"You'll see the schedule soon. We'll announce it once everything is wrapped up, and the call will come from the Election Commission,” he said.
Asked whether candidates from the Awami League, whose activities have been banned, would face any obstacles if they sought to contest the local elections, the CEC said eligibility would be determined by law.
Those who meet the legal requirements would be able to submit nomination papers, while those barred by law would not be eligible, he added.
On preparations for Dhaka's two city corporations and other local polls, Nasir Uddin said timelines would be announced later.
He noted that digital monitoring will be deployed, featuring CCTV and body-worn cameras.
On election challenges, the CEC said past local elections had often seen more violence, including clashes between rival candidates from the same family and disputes within neighbourhoods and villages.
He said the violence seen in villages even before elections was a concern and the commission would take measures to prevent it.
He said the commission had sought police assistance to ensure the local elections are “as acceptable and well-managed as the 13th parliamentary polls”.
He said Wednesday’s programme showed that the police were ready to support the elections.
"Just as we have a constitutional duty to hold elections, they have a constitutional duty to assist us," he said, pledging that the commission would issue no unlawful directives during the polls.
Inspector General of Police Ali Hossain Fakir later said the police would provide whatever assistance is needed to ensure the elections are conducted in an orderly manner.
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