CEC: No constituency boundary changes before reform recommendations

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin has said the redefinition of parliamentary constituency boundaries cannot be decided until recommendations from the Election Reform Commission are received.

He shared this information on Sunday following a meeting with the head of the Reform Commission at the Election Commission office.

Nasir said: “The head of the Election System Reform Commission came to discuss several matters with us. They will submit their report very soon. They inquired if we had any recommendations or statements. We shared the issues we felt were important.”

When asked about the topics discussed, he said: “There are some matters related to the redefinition of parliamentary constituencies and issues regarding the voter list. Additionally, we have some recommendations on matters crucial for elections.

"Whether or not they make recommendations, we have to address those issues. Otherwise, we cannot proceed with the boundary redefinition. Since we aim to include the youth in the voter list, certain changes must be made here. We did not inquire about their matters; we simply shared what we need.”

When asked whether it is possible to hold elections by next December, as political parties have requested, and considering the chief adviser’s earlier comments that it is up to the Election Commission, the CEC responded: “The Chief Adviser has already announced that if minimal reforms are made, elections can be held at the end of the year (2025).

"If substantial reforms are to be implemented, then the election will likely extend to June next year. We are preparing based on his statement, regardless of when the election occurs.”

Dr Badiul Alam Majumder, the head of the Election System Reform Commission, said: “We aim to submit the reform report to the government by December 31. If not, it will be submitted by January 3.”

When asked about the meeting, he said: “As the head of the Reform Commission, I inquired whether they had any proposals.”

In response to whether the Election Commission provided any recommendations, he said: “The commission is a stakeholder. We must learn their opinions and whether they have any recommendations for conducting free and fair elections.”