Election 2026: Schedule to be announced early Dec, says Commissioner Sanaullah

The schedule for the upcoming national election will be announced in the first half of December, Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said today.

Speaking to reporters at the Election Commission headquarters in the capital this evening, Sanaullah also said that expatriate Bangladeshi voters will be allowed to vote through a postal ballot system. The ballot will include electoral symbols but not the names of candidates.

He briefed the media following the EC's ninth meeting, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin. The meeting began at 11:00am and concluded around 7:00pm.

He mentioned that each expatriate Bangladeshi's vote via postal ballot may cost around Tk 500.

The election commissioner said three weeks will be given for voter registration for Bangladeshis living abroad.

The EC also mentioned that government officials and employees, individuals involved in election management, and those in legal custody or prison will also be able to register for voters online and vote through a postal ballot.

According to the meeting's decision, those who become voters by October 31 will be able to vote in the next election.

In the meeting, the EC also finalised the Code of Conduct 2025 for political parties and candidates.

Sanaullah said, "The draft of the code of conduct for candidates and political parties, on which we had sought opinions online, has been finalised today based on that feedback."

Regarding the misuse of AI in the election, EC Sanaullah said, "The code of conduct is for candidates and political parties. But AI will be used by many others. To counter this, we have formed a committee. They are already working to determine what actions can be taken. We have imposed strict restrictions on the misuse of AI."

On the use of the internet during the election, he said, "Our primary goal is to conduct the election without reducing bandwidth or disrupting any services. Unless necessary, the Election Commission currently has no intention of limiting any service or platform."

When asked about the possible date of the election, Sanaullah replied, "Today's meeting did not discuss that. However, we will discuss it soon. The announcement will come from the chief election commissioner about two months before polls. The schedule is set to be announced in the first half of December."

Sanaullah also said drone use will not be allowed ahead of the upcoming national election.

"No candidate, agent, or anyone else will be allowed to use drones or quadcopters. If the Election Commission itself finds a need to use them [drone or quadcopter], we will consider it at the appropriate time. Even the media will not be permitted to use such equipment," he said.

Regarding the use of CCTV cameras during voting, he said the commission does not find it reasonable.

"We're actively discussing the issue and have already held several meetings," he said.

"Renting CCTV cameras for just one day is not possible through outsourcing, and buying them isn't practical either. Think about how many would be needed for 45,000 polling centres. Then where do you store them? How do you justify the cost? We've received many such proposals."