Upazila polls in August
The Election Commission is considering holding upazila parishad elections in August next year before the parliamentary polls.
"We are planning to begin preparation [for that]," Election Commissioner Shah Nawaz told reporters at his office in the EC Secretariat, citing the upazila parishad law according to which the polls should be held within 180 days before expiry of the parishads.
The previous elections to 482 upazila parishads were held on January 22, 2009, about a month after the national polls.
This time parliamentary polls would be held after upazila elections, Shah Nawaz said, adding the next national elections would take place at the end of 2013 or early 2014.
The EC has already sent a draft of rules for conducting the upazila elections to the law ministry for vetting.
"Once the electoral rules are finalised, we will make other preparations for the polls," the EC official said.
He also said the EC had planned to hold elections to four city corporations -- Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet and Barisal -- in May next year.
On redrawing boundaries of the parliamentary constituencies, Shah Nawaz said the EC was reviewing the proposals and suggestions of political parties and civil society personalities on the issue.
"We will make a rational decision very soon," he added.
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