EC not considering private bankers for presiding officer roles

The Election Commission (EC) has clarified that officials from private banks will not be appointed as presiding or assistant presiding officers at this stage for the upcoming 13th parliamentary elections and the national referendum. 

They will remain on a reserve list and be deployed only if absolutely necessary.

Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah made the statement while speaking to reporters at the EC headquarters on Sunday, December 7, following the commission’s tenth meeting.

“We are not considering officials of private banks as presiding officers or assistant presiding officers for now. They will stay in reserve and will only be used if required,” Sanaullah said.

He added that preparations for both the parliamentary election and the referendum have reached an advanced stage under a comprehensive action plan.

Regarding the appointment process, the commissioner said the EC has already reviewed the field-level list of potential polling officials. “We will include officials from government, semi-government, autonomous and semi-autonomous institutions, as well as government banks, in the primary list of presiding officers, assistant presiding officers and polling officers,” he said.

The EC aims to finalise its operational measures soon as it moves closer to the polling schedule.