Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday directed the agencies concerned to complete all necessary preparations by December to ensure a peaceful national election.

The Chief Adviser made the directive in a meeting that lasted for around two hours at the State Guest House Jamuna in the capital. Home Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, chiefs and high officials of different law enforcement agencies and other concerned departments were present in the meeting.

Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed reporters at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.

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Deputy Press Secretaries Apurba Jahangir and Abul Kalam Azad Majumder and Senior Assistant Press Secretary Foyez Ahammad were present at the briefing.

There were discussions over the deployment of law enforcement members for seven days to maintain law and order during the election period - before, during and after the polls.

Around 8 lakh law enforcement members will be engaged, and they will further be trained before the election.

The Chief Adviser instructed to take preparation for bringing some 16,000 vulnerable polling stations throughout the country under CCTV monitoring network to ensure peaceful balloting in the upcoming national election.

“It has been said that there will be around 47,000 polling stations in the upcoming elections and according to their (intelligence) assessment, some 16,000 polling stations may be vulnerable. So, the Chief Adviser has given instructions on how to conduct elections peacefully in these risky polling stations,” said Shafiqul Alam.

The measures that are being considered also include installation of cameras on the body of police members in the vulnerable polling stations, he added.

Besides, this time the members of police and other forces will be deployed for seven days instead of the tradition of five days during the election in a bid to resist any sort of violence ahead of the vote and prevent the deterioration of law and order after the vote, said the press secretary.

Deputy Commissioners (DCs), Superintendents of Police (SPs), Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs) and Officers-in-Charge (OCs) will be reshuffled on a random basis ahead of the election, he said.

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He said both executive magistrates and judicial magistrates are deployed during the election. But it was observed that judicial magistrates often lack sufficient training on electoral duties. So, a directive was made so that they will be prepared for the election duty through extensive training, said the Press Secretary.

The Chief Adviser also directed to look into whether polling officers can be appointed this time, excluding the presiding and polling officers who were engaged in the last three controversial national elections