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Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Tuesday said the Election Commission (EC) is fully prepared to hold the presidential election, signalling that the schedule will be announced soon.
“We are prepared to conduct the presidential election,” he told reporters after a meeting with Acting Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
The meeting, which began at 11:00am, was held as part of the constitutional process ahead of finalising the election schedule. Election Commissioners Abdur Rahmanel Masud, Tahmida Ahmad and Md Anwarul Islam Sarker, along with EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, were also present.
Under the Presidential Election Act, 1991, the Election Commission must consult the Speaker before announcing the schedule. If Parliament is in session, the EC is required to issue the election notification at least seven days before the polling date. If it is not in session, the Commission must, in consultation with the Speaker, convene a meeting of Members of Parliament (MPs) at least a week before the election.
As part of the process, the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat will provide the list of MPs to the EC, which will then prepare and publish the electoral roll before announcing the schedule.
According to Article 123(2) of the Constitution, the presidential election must be held within 90 days of the office falling vacant due to resignation.
The CEC will act as the Returning Officer for the election, which will be decided by votes of MPs. A candidate must be nominated by one MP and seconded by another. The candidate securing the highest number of votes will be declared elected, while a tie will be resolved through a lottery, with the CEC’s decision considered final.
The development follows the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin on July 24, after which Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad assumed charge as acting president.