Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Saturday reaffirmed that the Election Commission will not issue any illegal instructions or ask officials to favour anyone in the upcoming national election scheduled for February, 2026.

“We will issue instructions, but never illegal ones. We will not give directions to favour anyone or to act on behalf of anyone. Our instructions will strictly follow the rules and laws to ensure the right work is done in the right way,” he said while addressing the Election Officers’ Conference-2025 at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital.

The CEC urged election officials to remain neutral and perform their duties with integrity. “This applies to everyone involved in the election process. You must work properly and impartially… you have already pledged this. We want to return home having fulfilled this commitment,” he said.

Nasir Uddin also mentioned that the Chief Adviser, currently visiting the United States, has been assuring global leaders that Bangladesh will hold a fully free and historic election. “We must uphold his trust. Whatever may have happened in the past, now we must prove that we can do it—there is no scope for exceptions,” he stressed.

Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Abdul Fazal Md Sanaullah linked the July 2024 Uprising to the collapse of the electoral system.

“Among the reasons behind the July Uprising, one of the most important was the absence of good elections. Ultimately, the final cause that stands is nothing but the rotten elections or the farce in the name of elections,” he said.

He warned that the Commission will not tolerate any officer who acts as a party tool. “If anyone voluntarily becomes a party tool, they will bear the responsibility themselves, and the Commission will not provide protection,” he cautioned.

Sanaullah assured that there will be no pressure, undue instructions or manipulations under the current Commission. “The way forward must begin with a pledge: never again to hold or take part in flawed elections,” he said.

EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said the Commission is committed to organising elections of international standard. “We want to bring the election to a bright position by holding a free, fair, beautiful, and impartial election,” he said.

He identified two major challenges: the misuse of artificial intelligence and implementing out-of-country and postal voting. “These will be addressed step by step, not overnight,” he added.

Other Election Commissioners—Abdur Rahmanel Masud, Tahmida Ahmad and Md Anwarul Islam Sarker—also spoke at the event, which was presided over by Mohammad Monir Hossain, convener of the Bangladesh Election Commission Officers’ Association.