Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed stated that a level playing field exists in the ongoing election process, allowing candidates to campaign freely. Speaking to reporters on Monday at the EC headquarters in Dhaka, he advised that complaints about code of conduct violations should be filed directly with the Electoral Inquiry and Adjudication Committees or returning officers for quicker action, rather than through the central EC office.

Ahmed also briefed journalists about a recent meeting between the EC and foreign diplomats, where 41 ambassadors and mission heads were informed about the upcoming February 12 parliamentary election and referendum. The diplomats were particularly interested in security arrangements and command structures. The EC detailed the deployment of police, army, navy, air force, RAB, and Ansar personnel, noting that 25,000 to 30,000 police body-worn cameras will be used at polling centers.

He added that vote counting is expected to take three to four hours per center, though counting for expatriate ballots may take longer due to separate ballot formats and centralized scanning procedures.