The schedule for Bangladesh’s 13th National Parliamentary Election and a national referendum has been officially announced. Both will be held on 12 February 2026.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A M M Nasir Uddin announced the schedule in a televised address to the nation on Thursday evening.
He stated that on Thursday, 12 February 2026, voting will be held in 300 constituencies for the 13th National Parliamentary Election, alongside a nationwide referendum on the 2025 Order for Implementing the July National Charter on Constitutional Reform.
The deadline for submitting nomination papers is 29 December, and the scrutiny of nominations will take place from 30 December to 4 January.
The last day for filing appeals with the Commission against decisions of the Returning Officers is 11 January. Appeals will be disposed of between 12 and 18 January. The final date for withdrawing candidacy is 20 January, while Returning Officers will publish the final list of candidates and allocate symbols on 21 January.
Election campaigning will run from 22 January until 48 hours before polling begins, meaning campaigns must end by 7:30 a.m. on 10 February.
The CEC’s address was broadcast simultaneously on BTV and BTV World. On election day, voting will take place continuously from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the voting period extended by one hour this year.
First Time in Bangladesh: Election and Referendum on Same Day
Ballot papers for the parliamentary election will be black and white, while referendum ballots will be pink—a first in the country’s history, as both events will be held on the same day.
The CEC’s speech was pre-recorded by BTV and Bangladesh Betar on Wednesday afternoon.
Bangladesh has been under a transitional government since the fall of the Awami League administration on 5 August 2024, following a mass student-led uprising. On 8 August, a caretaker administration led by Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus assumed office.
Ahead of the first anniversary of this government, during the observance of the 2025 ‘July Uprising Day’, the Chief Adviser announced that the 13th Parliamentary Election would be held in the first half of February.
Subsequently, it was decided that a national referendum would be held to implement the July National Charter. On 13 November, the Chief Adviser confirmed that the referendum would take place on the same day as the parliamentary election.