The local government elections will begin at the end of the current year, said Prime Minister’s Adviser on Information and Broadcasting Dr Zahed Ur Rahman on Tuesday.

“The election will start at the end of the year. Some preparations are needed which have already been communicated by the concerned ministry,” he said while responding to questions at a press briefing at the conference room of the Press Information Department (PID) at the Secretariat.

Replying to a question the adviser said the whole election process is expected to take between 10 months to a year after it begins.

Responding to another question whether the government plans to abolish Upazila Parishad following the allocation of office space for MPs at Upazila Parishad office, the adviser said no such decision has been taken yet.

Referring to legal provisions, the adviser said under Section 25 of the Upazila Parishad Act, MPs are legally advisers to Upazila Parishad.

 “If he is there legally, some may argue whether that position should exist at all — whether an MP should serve as an adviser is a separate debate. But providing an office does not make the situation worse in any way. If we follow that line of reasoning, since an MP is an adviser to the Upazila Parishad, it is only logical that they would have an office there. As I said, there is public debate on whether MPs should hold such advisory roles,” he said.

The government has no intention of weakening or diminishing the role of Upazila Parishad through such measures, he noted.