Election Commissioner Mohammad Alamgir has said the upazila elections will begin in the country in phases in the last week of April and continue until the last week of May. He disclosed this information at the Election Commission office at Agargaon in the capital on Tuesday (Jan 23) . “The elections may be held by using EVM or ballot. Even, the elections can be held with the coordination of EVM or ballot,” he said.   Regarding the mode of conducting elections, Commissioner Alamgir remained uncertain about whether electronic voting machines (EVM) or traditional ballot papers would be used. He said, "The elections may use EVM or ballot. We are considering both options, and the decision might involve a combination of EVM and ballot."

The Jatiyo Party will join the swearing-in ceremony for the MPs-elect on Wednesday (Jan 10) in a change of heart from an earlier decision to skip taking oath with others. "Elected MPs of Jatiyo Party will hold a meeting on Thursday to decide their next course of action regarding taking oath," JP joint office secretary Mahmud Alam said in a statement on Tuesday. Mahmud also said a meeting called for Thursday, as informed by Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu, was cancelled. Chunnu earlier said their MPs-elect would not take oath on Wednesday. He said they would discuss the matter and take a decision in Thursday’s meeting.

A newly formed cabinet will be sworn in at Bangabhaban on Thursday (Jan 11) following the ruling Awami League’s landslide victory in the 12th general election. President Mohammed Shahabuddin will administer the oath to the prime minister and her cabinet colleagues at 7pm.    Cabinet Division Secretary will moderate the oath taking ceremony. Awami League Sheikh Hasina is set to become prime minister for the fourth consecutive term. The candidates who emerged victorious in Sunday's general election are set to take the oath of office on Wednesday (Jan 10).

The Awami League (AL) has won 222 seats out of 298 in yesterday's 12th parliamentary election, said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal. The CEC revealed this information at a media briefing at Election Commission (EC) media centre here in the city.   Kazi Habibul Awal informed that out of 300 constituencies, polls to one constituency- Naogaon-2 were postponed following the death of a candidate. EC will announce the result of another constituency, Mymensingh-3, later as polling of one centre was withheld, he mentioned. The polls of the one centre of Mymensingh-3 will be held on January 13, he added. After the AL, he said, independent candidates were the most successful in the January 7 election, winning 62 seats. However, he informed, Jatiya Party won 11 seats while Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Bangladesh Workers Party and Bangladesh Kalyan Party won one seat each.   He also informed that a total of 41.8 percent vote was cast in the national election. Kazi Habibul Awal said the voting in 12th Jatiya Sangsad election was comparatively peaceful.   Source: BSS

41.8 percent of voters exercised their franchise in the just-concluded parliamentary polls in Bangladesh, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal has said. “Anyone doubting the information can challenge it. We challenge critics (who don’t believe this number) to come up with evidence to back up their claim,” he told reporters at the Election Commission office in Agargaon in Dhaka on Monday (January 8). Habibul Awal also said that the Japanese observation team has praised the elections.   He said they initially released a turnout number based on information received until 2pm. However, analysing the final results of 298 centres showed the turnout to be 41.8 percent.   CEC told reporters on Sunday that 40 percent of votes were cast across the country. He said journalists collected information in 299 constituencies. There was no serious violence. A candidate's candidature was cancelled before the end of the election. There were reports of arson in some polling stations.   "Two of our polling officers died of cardiac arrest while on duty," he added.   The Awami League secured the majority in the elections, bagging 224 seats out of 299. Among the rest are 62 independent candidates, 11 from the Jatiya Party, and a candidate from another party.   Apart from this, due to the death of a candidate in Naogaon-2 constituency, voting was held in 299 constituencies. However, the polling of Mymensingh-3 (Gouripur) constituency was closed on Sunday (January 7) afternoon due to irregularities and clashes. Hence, the result of the seat is pending.

The results of 214 out of 299 constituencies have been received till 11:40 pm on Sunday (January 7). According to the unofficial results, Awami League candidates secured 157 seats . Apart from this, 49 independent candidates and 8 Jatiya Party candidates have been elected. The party that wins more than half of the 300 seats i.e. 151 or more seats forms the government. As such, Awami League has already secured 157 seats . As a result, the party lead by Sheikh Hasina is going to form the government for the fourth consecutive time.

Preliminary results from the 12th national election have unveiled an unexpected outcome for actress Mahiya Mahi, who, failed to secure any votes in 17 polling stations of Rajshahi-1 (Godagari and Tanore). Out of a total of 136 polling stations, Mahi managed to secure 8,262 votes under the truck symbol.  However, her inability to garner support in a significant number of stations raised eyebrows, marking a challenging outcome for the popular actress. The constituency saw the triumph of the incumbent Member of Parliament and Awami League candidate, Omar Farooq Chowdhury, who secured an impressive 86,846 votes. Independent candidate Ghulam Rabbani was not far behind with 74,261 votes under the Kanchi symbol. Voting in Rajshahi-1 began at 8 am on Sunday, January 7, with the counting process starting promptly at 4 pm. The constituency boasts a total of 440,218 voters, comprising 219,653 male voters and 220,564 female voters. In response to the results, Mahiya Mahi released a statement expressing her acceptance of the outcome. She emphasised her unwavering commitment to serving the local community in the days ahead, regardless of the election results.