The Bangladesh Election Commission (EC) has warned that conducting local government elections before the national polls would lead to delays in the parliamentary elections.
The commission stated that local elections require nearly a year to complete, making it impossible to fit them within a short timeframe.
On Monday, the EC sent its views to the National Consensus Commission of Bangladesh, opposing several proposed election reforms. Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed confirmed that the EC had raised concerns about certain proposals, including the scheduling of elections and the delimitation of constituencies.
A leading Bangladeshi newspaper, The Daily Star, reported that the EC also opposed the proposed Election Commission Ordinance 2025. This ordinance seeks to impose criminal liability on election commissioners for failing to ensure fair elections.
The EC argued that such a law would undermine its independence and expose commissioners to undue political pressure.
The EC had earlier clarified that it would not be possible to hold local elections before national elections. This comes amid disagreements among major political parties regarding which polls should be held first.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has expressed doubts about national elections taking place in December. Senior BNP leaders suspect a "conspiracy" within the interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, to delay the polls.
Last week, BNP leader Zainul Abedin Farroque accused the National Citizen Party (NCP) of creating instability to push back the elections.
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