In a notice issued on Thursday (6 November), the EC stated that organizations deemed eligible after preliminary scrutiny have been given final approval. Earlier, on 28 September, the names of 73 domestic organizations were published in the preliminary list. Following verification and resolution of claims and objections, the number of approved organizations stands at 66.
According to the EC’s explanation, with the implementation of the new Election Observation Guidelines 2025, the registration of the 96 observer organizations registered before the previous 12th parliamentary elections has been automatically cancelled. Under the new guidelines, organizations wishing to serve as observers must reapply.
The deadline for submitting applications has been set for 5:00 PM on 10 August. Interested organizations must complete the prescribed form (EO-1) and submit it to the Senior Secretary of the Election Commission. The application form and instructions are available at the EC Secretariat’s Public Relations Division (Room No. 105) and on the website www.ecs.gov.bd.
Earlier, the Nasir Uddin Commission annulled the old 2023 guidelines and formulated new ones. At the same time, the registration of 96 domestic observer organizations registered during the previous government’s tenure was also cancelled. The current Commission is completing the observer registration process based on the new framework.
The registration system for election observers was first introduced by the EC during the 9th National Parliamentary Election in 2008. At that time, 138 organizations were registered, and over 159,000 observers worked in the field. In the 2014 election, 8,874 observers from 35 organizations participated; in the 2018 11th parliamentary election, 25,900 observers from 81 organizations took part; and in the most recent 2024 12th parliamentary election, more than 20,000 observers from 80 organizations were deployed.
