The Election Commission (EC) has instructed the Ministry of Public Administration to transfer all Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNO) in phases.

The EC has issued this instruction to hold the upcoming parliamentary election in a "free, fair and neutral" atmosphere, according to a circular signed by Md Mizanur Rahman, deputy secretary of the EC.

The development comes hours after the EC instructed the home ministry to transfer all the officer-in-charges at all police stations countrywide.

In the first phase, the UNOs, who have served more than one year at their current workplace, will be transferred.

For this, the ministry has been asked to send the first transfer proposal to the EC by December 5.

Earlier, the EC instructed the Ministry of Home Affairs to transfer the officers-in-charge (OCs) of all police stations nationwide in preparation for the upcoming 12th parliamentary election.

On Friday, EC Deputy Secretary Mizanur Rahman signed an instruction letter to this effect, which was then issued to the senior secretary of the Public Security Division of the ministry.

“The EC has decided to transfer the OCs of all the police stations across the country in phases for fairly holding the national polls," reads the letter.

For this purpose, in the first phase, the OCs who have completed more than six months of service at their current workplace should send their transfer order to another district or police station by 5 December.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has been requested to take necessary measures in this regard,” reads the letter. 

The 12th general election is scheduled to take place on 7 January. The deadline for the submission of nomination papers was 30 November, and the scrutiny of nomination papers submitted within the stipulated time will occur between 1 and 4 December.

According to the election schedule, the deadline for the withdrawal of candidature is 17 December. Candidates have the opportunity to appeal against the decisions of Returning Officers (ROs) between 6 and 15 December.

ROs will distribute electoral symbols among candidates on 18 December, allowing candidates to commence their electioneering activities from 8 am on 18 December until 5 January.