The Election Commission will observe the coronavirus situation before deciding on the upcoming elections, as almost all gatherings are postponed amid the global coronavirus outbreak.
Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda came up with the statement while talking to the reporters following the celebration of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on Tuesday, reports bdnews24.com.
“We haven’t decided to call off the elections yet. We’re monitoring the impact of the coronavirus. We’ll observe the situation for one or two days and take a decision,” the CEC said.
By-polls to Dhaka-10, Gaibandha-3 and Bagerhat parliamentary seats are scheduled for Mar 21. The Chattogram city election is due on Mar 29.
The EC is keen to hold the Dhaka by-election, just four days away. However, it may change the plan due to the changed circumstances.
"We still plan to hold the election on Mar 21 but we'll reconsider it if the situation goes out of control," said Huda.
The preparation for the by-polls is almost complete and the candidates are running their campaigns carefully, said the CEC. "But the candidates also requested us not to cancel the election."
“We asked them to avoid any public gathering and solicit votes in an alternative way," he said.
The EC is yet to think about any change in the Chattogram election set for Mar 29.
