Political parties participating in Sunday’s electoral dialogue, urged the Election Commission (EC) to strictly uphold neutrality, to be bold and remain uncompromising on enforcement of electoral rules and the code of conduct to hold the upcoming national election in a free, fair and credible manner.
The EC held two separate discussions with a total of 11 parties at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital on the second day of its ongoing electoral dialogue with registered political parties. Six parties attended the morning session and five others joined the afternoon session.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin presided over both sessions, while election commissioners Abdur Rahmanel Masud, Tahmida Ahmad, Anwarul Islam Sarker and Brig Gen (Retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah, as well as EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed were present.
Gonoforum, Gono Front, Islamic Front Bangladesh, Islami Oikyajote, Bangladesh Supreme Party (BSP) and Bangladesh Jatiya Party took part in the first session; Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Bangladesh Jasod), Bangladesh National Awami Party (Bangladesh NAP), Krishak Sramik Janata League, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis and Islami Andolan Bangladesh joined the second session.
Gonoforum’s acting President Subrata Chowdhury said those who worked in the previous election commissions were competent, but unfortunately neutrality was missing among them. “There were invisible forces around them,” he said.
He urged the current Commission to ensure neutrality at all levels. “During your tenure, you need to uphold impartiality both in the national and local government elections and the neutrality must be visible to the people. We still have confidence in you… There will be a national election in February and a referendum as well,” he added.
About the referendum, he questioned the format of single option ‘yes’ or ‘no’ against several questions -may make it ineffective. “Make sure the referendum does not become a matter of mockery. You must stand firm.”
He stressed the responsibility of political parties to follow the code of conduct. “The current EC must ensure a good election,” said Subrata Chowdhury.
Gono Front Secretary General Ahmad Ali Sheikh said the Commission must ensure it has every capacity necessary to conduct a proper election.
Bangladesh Jatiya Party’s acting chairman ANM Sirajul Islam recommended arrangement of the divisional-wise balloting and installing CCTV cameras at polling stations to make the election fair as well as reducing security deposits.
Bangladesh Jatiya Party (Matin) Secretary General Jafor Ahmed Joy expressed worry whether the commission can uphold the rules it issued: "You have taken the oath. The responsibility of the nation is on your shoulders. If you cannot perform your responsibility due to pressure from someone, then there is a better way, take that path. But don't bow down (to anyone)."
Islamic Front Bangladesh Chairman Syed Bahadur Shah Mojaddedi placed nine proposals. “The last three elections held over the past 15 years were all controversial. They created a crisis of confidence over voting. The entire electoral system is in crisis,” he said.
He asked for ensuring a level playing field and holding the next election in four phases instead of a single day.
Addressing the first session, the CEC sought cooperation from political parties to create a safe environment for voters during the upcoming national election.
Nasir Uddin said the commission’s main objective is to hold the next election in a fair, acceptable environment. “To achieve this, we need your cooperation,” he said.
“We need your support in bringing voters to the polling stations and creating a safe environment,” he said.
The CEC said the Election Commission has already formulated a code of conduct for the upcoming election. “A fair election largely depends on the proper implementation of the code of conduct. If candidates comply with it properly, the election will be fair. In this regard, we seek your cooperation.”
Opening the afternoon session, the CEC said if the parties cooperate, the burden on them regarding enforcement of the code of conduct becomes far lighter. “If the parties cooperate with us, we won't have so many headaches with the code of conduct. Many people think that if we work for them, the commission is their man. We can't work for anyone."
Noting both misinformation and disinformation as one of the biggest challenges in the upcoming election — a challenge previous Commissions did not have to face. “This has become a major concern,” he said.
Krishak Sramik Janata League President Bangabir Kader Siddique said he hadn’t joined discussions with the government in the last 15 months despite getting invitations, but he came to attend the EC’s dialogue as a mark of respect for its constitutional positions.
He claimed that the current government divided the country completely: “There are 40-50 registered political parties, but they invite only two-three parties. It’s neither neutral nor universal.”
Bangladesh NAP Chairman Jebel Rahman Ghoni said the dialogue should have been held earlier and expressed concern that the Commission did not collect opinions from all stakeholders while amending the RPO and the code of conduct. “If we make recommendations now, these things may not be implemented,” he said.
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Secretary General Jalal Uddin Ahmed emphasised the need for EC’s neutrality. “If neutrality is questioned, the national election itself will be questioned,” he said.
Islami Andolan Bangladesh Senior Presidium Member Syed Mosaddeq Billah Al Madani opposed holding the referendum and general election on the same day. “If both are held together, the referendum loses its importance. We want the referendum on a separate day,” he said.
Pointing at Awami League, Bangladesh Jasod General Secretary Nazmul Haque Prodhan said the leaders of a political party fled the country and it won’t participate in the election. “Those who are participating must have a congenial environment. The EC must ensure that environment. The Commission must create it,” he said.
The Commission will sit with 12 more political parties in two separate sessions on Monday.
On November 13, the EC opened its pre-election dialogue with registered political parties and already held talks with a total of 23 ones out of 53 registered political parties on the first two days of the electoral dialogue.
Currently, there are 53 registered political parties, excluding the Awami League, whose registration remains suspended. Besides, the EC recognised three new parties, including NCP, as registered parties.
The Commission aims to complete the dialogue with all registered political parties within this month before the announcement of the national election schedule in early December.
In late September 2025, the Commission opened a series of electoral dialogues with different stakeholders amid talks with civil society representatives on September 28.
Later, the EC held separate dialogues with the representatives of teachers, senior journalists frm different media outlets, election experts and election observers.