POBNEWS24, Dhaka, Feb 10, 2026 : The Bangladesh Election Commission (EC) has completed all preparations for the long-awaited 13th National Parliament election. A total of 2,028 candidates, including 50 political parties and independent candidates, are contesting in 299 parliamentary constituencies in this election. Of which 81 are women candidates. Unprecedented security measures have been taken at the field level to make the election fair and festive, said Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah.
The National Parliament and the referendum will be held on the same day across the country on Thursday. He said this at a press conference at the Election Building in Agargaon on Tuesday.
EC Sanaullah said that physical voting will be held in a total of 42,659 centers. In addition, postal votes will be counted in 299 centers. In total, the total number of centers is 42,958. Of the centers designated for in-person voting, about 50 percent have been identified as ‘normal’ and the remaining 50 percent as ‘critical’ or ‘risky’. The total number of voters in this election is more than 127.7 million. Of these, 64.8 million are male voters and 62.8 million are female voters.
Regarding postal voting, he said that 703,000 ballots have reached the returning officers as of Tuesday morning. The rest are in transit, which will reach by the day after tomorrow.
Sanaullah said that this time there will be a huge contingent to observe the election. 45,330 people have been accredited as domestic observers. Out of these, 350 are foreign observers, which may increase further. 9,700 journalists have registered to collect news, of which 156 are foreign journalists.
958,000 members will be engaged in maintaining law and order during the election. 2,098 executive magistrates and 657 judicial magistrates will be on duty. Modern technology is being added to security this time. UAVs (drones) and body-worn cameras are being used for the first time. CCTV cameras have been installed in more than 95 percent of the centers.
He also said that 69 returning officers, 958 assistant returning officers and more than 5 lakh polling officers will be engaged in polling at the field level. Ballot papers and election materials will be distributed from the assistant returning officer’s office from tomorrow morning.
According to the revised rules, this time the voter slip will be able to have the name and symbol of the candidate. Progress reports will be provided every two hours on the election day (a total of four times). The results of the referendum and the parliamentary elections will be announced simultaneously. The EC expects most of the results to be available by midnight. The next morning, the gazette will be officially published after the returning officer signs the ‘Form-18’.
Abul Fazal said that 300 cases have been filed and more than 500 investigations have been conducted for violating the election code of conduct so far. In addition, 850 illegal weapons have been recovered since December 13. Even though the evil gangs wanted to cause violence, the law enforcement agencies have succeeded in controlling it. The arms recovery operations in various places including Comilla, Jessore and Faridpur are proof of that.
Expressing optimism about the large turnout of voters, he said that there is great enthusiasm among the people. Especially, the influx of people leaving Dhaka for their villages indicates a good voter turnout. The commission has called on all political parties and supporters to complete the voting festival in a beautiful and harmonious environment.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the chief advisor to the interim government, Dr. Mohammad Yunus, gave his last speech to the nation.
Muhammad Yunus said, “Leave fear behind and bring courage to the polls. Your one vote will not only elect a government, it will answer 17 years of silence, answer unbridled fascism, reshape the nation and prove that this country will never again let the voices of its youth and women and the struggling masses be silenced.”
He said, “Today I stand before you at a very significant, historic and future-defining moment. In just one day, the thirteenth national parliamentary elections will be held across the country and with them the referendum on the July National Charter. A day of long-awaited aspirations of the nation.”
Remembering all the martyrs of the great Liberation War and the July Uprising, he said, “We got Bangladesh in exchange for their blood, and today, after the success of the long struggle against tyranny, we are once again standing at the juncture of a democratic transition. Without the sacrifices of all the people, especially the July warriors, none of these elections and referendums would have been possible. The entire nation is eternally indebted to them. There are days in the life of every nation that have far-reaching significance, the day when the future direction of the state, the character and stability of democracy, and the fate of future generations are determined. The day after tomorrow is just such a day, the day when two votes are going to be held. We will all together elect a new government and at the same time determine the future structure of our beloved Bangladesh state through a referendum.”
He said, “The formal election campaign has already ended. Now it is the turn of all of us to make decisions. At this moment, as a responsible citizen of the state, I consider it my moral and constitutional duty to share some important things with you.”
