Voter Results Expected by Friday Morning

Following the conclusion of polling in the 13th National Parliamentary Election and the concurrent referendum, widespread discussion has emerged regarding when the official results will be released. This election marks the first time in the country’s history that a parliamentary vote has been held simultaneously with a public referendum, a development expected to prolong the counting process.

The Election Commission (EC) has indicated that it anticipates announcing the results on Friday morning. However, former election and administrative officials caution that complete results may not be available until Friday afternoon due to the dual ballot system and the inclusion of postal votes.

Counting will involve both parliamentary and referendum ballots. Once the tallying at individual centres is completed, constituency-level aggregated results will be released from the respective Returning Officers’ offices. Subsequently, the Election Commission’s central Result Collection and Dissemination Centre will make the formal announcement.

Election Commissioner Md. Anwarul Islam stated, “Insha’Allah, we hope to announce the results as promptly as possible following the election. We are aiming for the first part of Friday to provide the results.”

According to Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat, Akhtar Ahmed, counting is expected to conclude by 10:00 am on Friday. He reassured the public, noting, “There is no reason for a delay. Every ballot will be counted. Voting commenced at 7:30 am on 12 February, and counting is scheduled to finish the following morning.”

The necessity for additional time in the counting process was flagged as early as 23 January by EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed. He explained that the simultaneous use of two ballots per voter, along with postal votes, will require more time than usual. He also highlighted that results spanning multiple constituencies will extend the time Returning Officers need to compile final totals.

Ahmed emphasised that while initial counting at the centres will conclude promptly, aggregation of postal ballots and referendum results at the Returning Officers’ offices may require additional time. “The central counting will finish first, but postal votes combined with the referendum will take extra time at the Returning Officer level,” he noted.

With multiple layers of counting and simultaneous elections, the EC is urging patience from voters and candidates alike, assuring that the results will be accurate and comprehensive.