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The Election Commission (EC) has asked the government to provide key information on four categories of local government bodies as it steps up preparations for upcoming local government elections.
In four separate letters sent to the Local Government Division on Thursday, the EC requested details of union parishads, municipalities, upazila parishads and city corporations by July 30. It also urged the division to complete boundary demarcation and ward delimitation for the institutions as quickly as possible.
The EC said the information is needed to determine the tenure of the elected bodies and schedule elections in line with the Local Government Acts. Under the law, elections to union parishads, municipalities and upazila parishads must be held within 90 days before the expiry of their five-year terms, while city corporation elections must be completed within 180 days before the end of the term.
Earlier, Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said the Local Government Division and relevant authorities are responsible for boundary demarcation, and coordination has been strengthened to expedite the process. He added that the EC has begun preparations to ensure local government elections are conducted as smoothly as the national polls.
According to the EC’s roadmap, 3,981 of the country’s 4,580 union parishads will become eligible for elections this year, while the remainder are expected to be ready in 2027 and 2028. Elections remain stalled in 108 union parishads due to legal and boundary disputes. Of the country’s 330 municipalities, 320 are election-ready, with the remaining 10 facing legal complications.
All 500 upazila parishads, including five newly created ones, are currently eligible for elections as none has elected representatives. Similarly, all 13 city corporations, including the newly formed Bogura City Corporation, are election-ready because they are being run without elected councils.
Following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, the interim administration dissolved 61 district councils and appointed administrators. After the BNP government assumed office, new administrators were appointed to 56 district councils. At present, municipalities are also being run by administrators, while only union parishads continue to have elected representatives.
