Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A M M Nasir Uddin has said that the schedule for the 13th National Parliamentary Election is likely to be announced within this week.
He made the remark on Tuesday (December 9) while speaking to journalists after a courtesy meeting with Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed. The two held a one-hour closed-door meeting at the Chief Justice’s chamber.
Speaking about the meeting, the CEC said, “I came for a courtesy call. The Chief Justice is retiring this month. We have worked together, so I came to pay a farewell visit.”
He added that the Election Commission requested the Chief Justice to expedite the deployment of the Electoral Inquiry Committees (EICs) once the schedule is announced.
“We urged him to ensure quick deployment of the EICs immediately after the announcement of the polls schedule,” he said.
When asked about the Chief Justice’s response, the CEC said, “He assured us that necessary measures are being taken regarding the deployment of the Electoral Inquiry Committees, and there will be no difficulty.”
He also clarified that no discussion took place regarding ongoing cases.
“Cases were not part of our conversation,” he said.
Earlier in the day, the CEC arrived at the Supreme Court directly from the Election Commission, where he was received by Registrar General Muhammad Habibur Rahman Siddiqui.
As per long-standing tradition, the CEC meets the Chief Justice ahead of the announcement of the national election schedule.
On December 7, Election Commissioner Abuul Fazal Md Sanaullah had said that the schedules for both the 13th parliamentary election and the national referendum would be announced by December 15.
