Voting after 35 yrs; no candidates withdraw: EC Secretary

Election Commission (EC) has already completed preparations for the upcoming presidential election on August 20, as no candidate withdrew their nomination papers on the final day - confirmed EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed. 

He briefed journalists in front of his office at the Election Building in the capital’s Agargaon on Tuesday (August 18).

According to the schedule, voting will take place continuously from 2 PM to 5 PM at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. The EC secretary informed that 20 election officials have been appointed to ensure a smooth and orderly voting process.

Detailing the voting procedure, the EC secretary stated that election officials will begin the process by welcoming everyone present. A special design has been approved for the ballot papers, which will feature black printing on white paper.

"Voting will be held from 2 PM to 5 PM," he said. "We will print the ballot papers and bring them on that day."

The EC secretary added that preliminary results will be announced immediately after voting ends. A total of 349 Members of Parliament will cast their votes in the election. The Chittagong-4 constituency currently remains vacant after the court canceled the candidacy of the elected representative. 

The EC announced the election schedule on August 6 following the resignation of the 22nd president on July 24 due to illness. Voting will take place for the first time since 1991 due to the presence of multiple candidates.

Upon completion of counting both valid and invalid votes, the returning officer will officially declare the final result inside the parliamentary chamber. The head of state election under the parliamentary system - occurring after 35 long years - has sparked intense interest across political circles and the general public.

-SA