Dhaka, Sep 27 (IANS) Bangladesh’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin said on Saturday that the Election Commission (EC) is facing significant challenges working in the current situation in the country.

Addressing the Election Officers’ Conference-2025 at the Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka, Nasir Uddin said that while preparing for the next year’s general elections and addressing various demands, the EC is encountering numerous direct and indirect obstacles.

“Working in Bangladesh is very difficult. Particularly in the situation the country is going through, getting work done is very convenient for some people, but difficult for most people. The country is now in this situation,” Bangladesh’s leading Bengali daily Prothom Alo quoted the CEC as saying.

Nasir Uddin also assured that the EC will neither issue unlawful instructions to its officials nor ask them to favour any party in the February 2026 elections.

“We will issue instructions, but no illegal instruction will ever be given. We will not give instructions to favour anyone or to work on behalf of anyone. Our instructions will be strictly in line with the rules and laws for doing the right work in the right way,” he added.

Reports suggest that the conference was also attended by four Election Commissioners and Akhtar Ahmed, senior secretary of the EC.

Speaking at the conference, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Machud said, “People are very reluctant about elections. There has been a lot of distrust in the Election Commission. Their backs are against the wall regarding elections. So now there is no alternative to good elections.”

Last month, the CEC Nasir Uddin stressed the need for the election officials to maintain complete neutrality during the next year’s national election in the country, which he described as the most challenging one, local media reported.

“We are constantly facing new challenges — ones that did not exist before. Law and order issues have always been there. Earlier, the degree was lower, now it may be somewhat higher. And we may also have to confront challenges that we do not yet know,” Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Daily Star, quoted Nasir Uddin as saying.

Bangladesh has been gripped by uncertainty and political conflicts ahead of the next general elections.

The political parties that earlier collaborated with interim chief adviser Muhammad Yunus to overthrow the democratically-elected Awami League government led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are now at loggerheads over reform proposals.

–IANS

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