Dhaka, Dec. 7 -- With Bangladesh's next parliamentary election expected in February, uncertainty continues to cloud the political landscape as the Election Commission (EC) has yet to fix a date for announcing the official election schedule.

The hesitation has fuelled public speculation over whether the national vote will proceed on time.

Speaking at a workshop with journalists on Saturday at the Election Training Institute in Dhaka, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed acknowledged that the commission "has not yet determined the date for announcing the election timetable."

Although preparations for the 13th parliamentary election are ongoing "at full scale," he said, the final decision is still pending.

An interim government earlier declared tha...