The Election Commission (EC) will begin its dialogue with political parties from November 13, EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said today.

"We will start dialogue from Thursday [November 13]. The discussions will be held with all registered political parties. As of now, we haven't decided who will be invited to the talks on that day [Nov 13]. I will inform you gradually," he said while talking to reporters at the Election Bhaban in Dhaka this afternoon.

When asked if Jatiya Party would be invited to the dialogue, the EC secretary avoided the question, saying, "We haven't decided yet who will be invited."

Regarding the reason behind the Election Commission's publication of a gazette amending the RPO (Representation of the People Order) and the code of conduct before holding discussions with political parties, the EC Secretary did not provide a direct answer.

"We will discuss the changes made to RPO and the code of conduct, and seek their cooperation for a fair election. We will also listen to their views," he said.

Asked whether further amendments to the RPO and the code of conduct would be made based on feedback from the political parties, he responded, "Please wait until the day after tomorrow."

On the issue of referendums, the EC secretary said, "I have spoken about the issue before. The Election Commission or the EC Secretariat has not received any instructions or engaged in any discussions about a referendum."