BAIRA sets Nov 14 for 2026–2028 executive committee election

The Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), the apex body of manpower exporters, has announced the schedule for its biennial election to elect a new executive committee for the 2026�"28 term.

According to a press release signed by Election Board Chairman and Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Firoz Al Mamun on Thursday, voting will be held on November 14.

He said the election, which was deferred three times during the interim government's tenure, will now be held as scheduled following the completion of the voter list update.

The election will form a 27-member Board of Directors. The board will subsequently elect a president, a senior vice-president, three vice-presidents, a secretary general, three joint secretaries general, a finance secretary, a sports, recreation and cultural secretary, a public relations secretary, a members' welfare secretary, and 14 executive members.

The election follows a prolonged administrative period after the High Court suspended the activities of BAIRA's executive committee in September 2024 over alleged violations of the organisation's constitution.

An administrator has since been overseeing BAIRA's operations. Under the administrator's supervision, a new Election Board and Appeal Board have been constituted.

Deputy Secretary Firoz Al Mamun will head the Election Board, while Senior Assistant Secretary Mohammad Hasib Sarkar and Assistant Secretary Md Humayun Kabir will serve as members.

Members must clear their annual subscriptions and all outstanding dues up to December 31 by September 14 and submit voter registration applications by 5:00 pm on the same day.

The preliminary voter list will be published on September 24, with objections accepted between September 25 and 27. Appeals will be heard from September 28 to 30, and the final voter list will be published between October 1 and 2.

Nomination papers may be collected and submitted between October 2 and 8, while scrutiny will take place from October 9 to 15. The final list of valid candidates will be published on October 21, followed by the withdrawal period from October 22 to 24. The final candidate list will be announced on October 24.

Voting will take place from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on November 14, with the results to be announced the same day after vote counting. The final polling station will be announced before the election.

Objections to the election process may be filed from November 15, with hearings scheduled for November 16 and 17. The initial final results will be declared on November 18, while appeals may be submitted between November 19 and 21. All legal proceedings are expected to conclude by November 24, and, if necessary, a revised final result will be announced on November 25.