Dhaka, Feb. 11 -- The 13th Jatiya Sangsad election and a nationwide referendum are set to take place on Thursday (February 12), with voting scheduled from 7:30am to 4:30pm without interruption, according to local media reports.

As the parliamentary election and referendum are being held simultaneously for the first time, the Election Commission (EC) has extended voting hours by one hour, fixing a total of nine hours for balloting. A new postal voting system has also been introduced. The EC said the extended timeframe was necessary to manage two votes on the same day.

According to the Commission, young voters are expected to play a decisive role in determining the outcome of both the referendum and the parliamentary election. The number ...