DHAKA  – Election Commission (EC) Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed today said the 11th parliamentary election will be held in the last week of December.

“The EC is planning to use Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in 100 electoral constituencies . . . The 11th parliamentary election will be held in the last week of December,” he told the journalists at his office at Nirbachan Bhaban in city’s Agargaon.

Ahmed said the EC has already sent a proposal to the Planning Ministry to buy 1.50 lakh EVMs. “The commission would be able to use EVMs at one-third constituencies if everything goes as per our plan,” he added.

The EC secretary said the polls will be held in the last week of December and there is no possibility of holding the polls in the month of January as the schools will open for classes in the new year.

The EC is taking all-out preparations to hold the election in December and the commission has already completed 80 percent works in this regard, he added.

He said an amended law will be needed to use EVM and the commission will sit again on August 30 to discuss changes to the Representation of People Order (RP0) 1972.

Later, the commission will hold talks with the political parties. After that, the EC will decide whether EVM would be used or not in the upcoming polls, Ahmed said.

He said upazila parishad elections will be held after the national polls.