BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia needs to enrol as voter before Nov 13, the last day for nomination, if she wishes to run in the election, an official said on Monday.
"Khaleda Zia will have to be a voter before Nov 13 if she wants to be a candidate in line with the present electoral law," deputy secretary at the Election Commission Secretariat Mihir Sarwar Morshed told us.
He, however, said the commission can enlist one in the voter list through special powers after the deadline is over.
Earlier, parliament speaker Jamiruddin Sircar recently said the constitution did not make it mandatory to be a voter to run in the election.
Election commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain had also said Khaleda could register as a voter any time she wished.
Deputy election commissioner for Dhaka Division Biswas Lutfur Rahman told bdnews24.com on Sunday night the BNP chief had said she would be a voter but did not say when and in which address.
Chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda in his address to the nation on Sunday said the candidate must be a voter of any constituency to contest national elections.
None other than the candidate of a registered party and independent candidates could take part in the polls, the chief election commissioner said.
Lutfur Rahman said their officers were in touch with Khaleda and that they would take steps as soon as she gave her consent to be a voter.
The former prime minister had been approached three to four times earlier to become a voter.
Her rival, Awami League president Sheikh Hasina became voter in June in the special jail.
Subject: Khaleda must enrol in 10 days to run: official............. 
Mon Nov 03, 2008 12:20 pm
