No More EVMs, National Polls To Be Held By Ballots: CEC

There will be no more voting through EVMs. The next national elections will be held entirely through ballots, said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin today.

He informed while interacting with the media at the Agargaon Election Building in the capital on Tuesday (December 17) afternoon.

Earlier yesterday (Monday), Election Commissioner (EC) Tahmida Ahmed said that the Election Commission is ready to organize national elections by the “end of 2025 or in January 2026”.

In a speech to the nation on the occasion of the Great Victory Day that morning, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser to the Interim Government, said that national elections could be held in late 2025 or the first half of 2026, subject to reforms and accurate compilation of the voter list.

He also said that the timing of the national elections depends on the electoral reform and the recommendations of the Electoral Reform Commission. In this case, subject to reforms and accurate preparation of the voter list, the national elections could be held in late 2025 or the first half of 2026.

“The first and biggest task is to update the voter list. This is a challenging task. The task is even more difficult now as voters did not have the chance to participate in the last three elections. No one has had the opportunity to verify the voter list. We must ensure that the names of all those who have become eligible to vote in the last 15 years are included in the voter list,” said the Chief Adviser.

“After a long time, many youths will vote for the first time in their lives. In the past, they were deprived of that right and joy. Therefore, their voting in this election will be a memorable one. All arrangements will be made to make this experience smooth,” said Dr. Muhammad Yunus.