Staff Correspondent:
Senior Secretary of the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat, Akhtar Ahmed, has assured that the results of the 13th National Parliamentary Election will not be unnecessarily delayed under any circumstances. He said the Election Commission is currently working actively on election result management and has ensured all necessary facilities for the timely announcement of results.
He made these remarks on Tuesday (10 February) while speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of the Media Center for foreign journalists at Hotel InterContinental in the capital.
The EC Secretary said, “We will inform everyone promptly about who received how many votes. Vote counting for postal ballots may take a little more time, but that is normal. Only the time that is genuinely required will be taken—no more than that. Under no circumstances will the publication of results be unnecessarily prolonged.”
He further stated that all ballot papers for 299 parliamentary constituencies have already been dispatched and that final preparations for voting have been completed. “Now we are simply waiting for the scheduled time,” he added.
Akhtar Ahmed noted that two votes will be held simultaneously this time—one for the general election and the other for a referendum. “The general election is for political leadership, while the referendum is for social and political transformation. Our journey was not very smooth, but we completed the process step by step,” he said.
He also mentioned that one of the major mandates of the July blood-stained uprising was to ensure a free, fair, and credible election. Keeping that objective in mind, the Election Commission has worked to organize an inclusive and peaceful election.
The EC Secretary said the voter list previously contained numerous inaccuracies, which were corrected on a priority basis. New and young voters were included, and the names of deceased voters were removed from the list.
Addressing journalists, Akhtar Ahmed said, “We must uphold the truth and reject all forms of misinformation. Initially, we imposed restrictions on journalists carrying mobile phones into polling centers. However, mobile phones have become an integral part of journalists’ professional lives, and considering this reality, the decision was later withdrawn.”
He added that the Election Commission aims to conduct a festive and peaceful election and emphasized that responsible journalism will play a crucial role in achieving that goal.
