Dhaka: Bangladesh’s Election Commission said on Sunday, February 23, that preparations are underway for the general elections, based on the two deadlines set by the interim government—December this year and June 2026, in case of major reforms.

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin made the comments during a discussion with district administration officials in Cox’s Bazar, state-run BSS news agency reported.

“The interim government has given two deadlines for election, by December or by June next year if there is a major reform,” Nasir Uddin was quoted as saying.

He said the Election Commission is progressing based on the two deadlines.

Asserting that the commission wants to hold a free, fair and neutral election, he said the polls will be “credible” and internationally acceptable.

The CEC expressed hope that the final voter list for the next general elections would be available by June this year.

“For now, the Election Commission’s first goal is to prepare an accurate voter list. There are 16 lakh dead voters. They need to be excluded,” the report quoted him as saying.

He underscored the top polls body’s commitment to avoiding any undue pressure or unfair decisions. He added that it wants to place its trust in those who will perform impartial election duties in the current administration, according to the report.

Earlier this month, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus assured former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) that elections will be held by December.

Yunus assumed charge of Bangladesh’s interim government on August 8, 2024, three days after the ouster of the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League regime in an uprising led by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

His council of advisers — effectively the cabinet — launched a reform campaign constituting several commissions to recommend restructuring the country’s administrative systems and Bangladesh’s original 1972 constitution.