Staff Correspondent:

The Election Commission (EC) is moving ahead with plans to complete procurement of essential papers and printing of materials within four months, as part of its preparations for the upcoming 13th national parliamentary election.

The EC held a preparatory meeting this morning at its headquarters in Dhaka to assess the volume of paper needed for printing various materials for the 13th national parliamentary election.

The meeting was held with officials from the Directorate of Printing and Publications to assess the demand for election materials, the possible budget, to verify existing stock, and the timeframe needed to complete the procurement and printing process.

Typically, the standard requirements for a national parliamentary election include the printing of 21 different forms, 17 distinct packets, 5 types of identification cards, the code of conduct, posters displaying party symbols, election management manuals, training manuals, guidelines, and a variety of other necessary materials, according to EC officials.

Following the meeting, EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told reporters that preparations are being streamlined to ensure that election-related activities do not fall behind schedule.

“The main issue is how much time it takes from paper procurement to printing. They [officials] said it takes about three to four months. So, things will proceed based on backward calculation. Once a decision is made regarding the election date or schedule, we will align our preparations accordingly using that backward calculation,” he said.

During the meeting, discussions also covered the potential disposal of documents from previous elections currently stored at BG Press if their quality has deteriorated.

The EC Secretariat has formed a committee to make progress on this task, he added.

“This discussion was held to prepare ourselves regarding the quantity of paper required and the potential timeframe,” he said.

It was mentioned in the meeting that the lead time was approximately 3 months.

“Along with that, if we maintain a flexibility of four months, we will be able to complete all the procurements,” the secretary said.