January 8, 2026
DHAKA – Election Commissioner (EC) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah today said the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election is about restoring the country’s electoral momentum.
“If I explain the 2026 election through an analogy, it is very much like bringing a train that has gone off the rails back onto the track and starting it running again,” Sanaullah said at an event titled “Citizen Observation for Inclusive and Accountable Election in Bangladesh” at the NGO Affairs Bureau office in Dhaka.
The event was organised by the Alliance for Fair Election and Democracy (AFED) with support from the European Partnership for Democracy and the European Union (EU) funding.
Referring to electoral reforms, the commissioner said, “If we can at least give it some momentum by carrying out bare minimum repairs and replacing a few components, then our first stage will be achieved.”
Sanaullah said many new provisions have been added ahead of the 2026 election through legal and regulatory reforms, though challenges remain.
Addressing foreign observers, he acknowledged difficulties in registering observer organisations. “Our biggest difficulty this time was during the registration of observer organisation,” he said, noting that organisations from the last three “staged or controversial elections had not properly carried out their responsibilities.”
More than 300 organisations applied for registration, with 81 finally approved. “Observers are the Election Commission’s third eye,” Sanaullah said, adding that cooperation will be provided within guideline frameworks.