Polls can't take place without govt's support: B'desh election body chief

The government plays a central role in the election process, the head of Bangladesh's Election Commission said on Saturday, asserting that holding polls is "not possible" without its support.

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said that no matter "how independent" the top election body is said to be, "it is not possible to hold an election without the government's support."  "We have to conduct the polls with the cooperation of the government," the Dhaka Tribune newspaper quoted him as saying.

He added that the commission requires assistance from law enforcement agencies, the administration, and its officials to conduct the election.

Nasir Uddin made the remarks after inaugurating a training programme in the capital.

In response to a question, he said while there is no constant communication between the election commission and the government, contact is being maintained both "formally and informally".

There are various channels of communication, and we are involved in many of the government's reform and administrative activities. Everything will be clear in time, the bdnews24 news portal quoted him as saying.

Talking about the timeline of the polls, he said, We'll announce the schedule in due time and you'll know the date then.

You'll learn everything when the time comes...We do have an operational plan -- though I wouldn't call it a roadmap," he said, responding to another question.

Earlier this month, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus announced that the national election will be held in the first half of April next year.