By-election to be held within 90 days for vacant seat: EC

The Election Commission (EC) has said a by-election will be held within 90 days to fill the reserved women’s parliamentary seat vacated by BNP lawmaker Ferdousi Ahmed Misti.

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud made the disclosure at a briefing at the Election Commission office on Thursday.

Misti resigned from her reserved parliamentary seat on Thursday, following controversy over allegations of involvement in an attack, looting and vandalism at the Radda MCH-FP Centre in Dhaka’s Mirpur. Her resignation led Parliament to declare reserved women’s seat No. 23 vacant.

According to the EC, the vacant seat will be filled in accordance with the law governing elections to reserved women’s seats.

If there is more than one candidate, voting will be held; if there is only one candidate, they will be elected unopposed.

The seat will remain allocated to the party or alliance to which it was originally assigned.

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed said Misti submitted her written resignation at his office and that her seat became vacant immediately in accordance with the Constitution.

Attorney General Ruhul Quddus Kajal said he saw no legal complication arising from Misti’s resignation following a directive from her party leadership.

He also said her resignation would not prevent her from contesting a future parliamentary election if she is otherwise eligible.