<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal is set to address the nation and announce the schedule for the upcoming general election at 7 pm today, the Election Commission has said.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar will broadcast the CEC’s speech in the evening, EC Secretary Jahangir Alam said while briefing reporters this morning.</div><div><br></div><div>Before announcing the polls schedule, a meeting will be held at the Election Commission at 5 pm today. The CEC will hold the 26th meeting of the Election Commission, said the EC secretary.</div><div><br></div><div>The dates of nomination paper submission, evaluation, and withdrawal of candidature will be finalised at the meeting, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>A three-tier security system has been set up at the Election Commission building on the occasion of the announcement of the next general election's schedule.</div><div><br></div><div>Apart from police, RAB and Ansar personnel have been deployed in front of the Election Commission building. Entry of visitors has been restricted inside the building.</div><div><br></div><div>The CEC is going to announce the polls schedule amid the ongoing 48-hour blockade called by BNP, Jamaat and like-minded opposition parties to press home their one-point demand.</div><div><br></div><div>The Election Commission is determined to hold the next general election within the stipulated time as per its constitutional obligation, CEC Kazi Habibul Awal had said earlier.</div><div><br></div><div>The 11th national election was held on December 30, 2018.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the constitution, the tenure of the current government will end on January 29, 2024.</div><div><br></div><div>A total of 11,96,91,633 voters are expected to cast their votes at 42,103 polling centres across the country in the 12th general election of Bangladesh. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>