The overall environment surrounding the upcoming thirteenth National Parliamentary Election remains satisfactory so far, Chief Election Commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin has said, expressing optimism that with collective cooperation and responsible participation from all stakeholders the election can be conducted in a free, fair and acceptable manner that earns public trust, he made these remarks on Monday while visiting the appeal submission booths at the Election Commission building in Agargaon, noting that assessments based on law and order conditions, administrative preparedness, commission activities and field-level reports do not indicate any major negative developments at this stage, he further emphasized that restraint and adherence to rules by political parties, candidates, voters and all concerned will be crucial in maintaining a peaceful atmosphere throughout the electoral process, meanwhile the process of filing appeals against decisions made by returning officers has begun, and to ensure smooth handling the country has been divided into ten regions with separate booths established for appeal submission, hearings on these appeals are scheduled to begin on January 10 at the Election Commission auditorium and are expected to continue until January 18, although the timeline may be adjusted depending on the volume of appeals and overall circumstances, hearings will take place daily from 10 am following a fixed serial order, and appellants along with concerned returning officers or their representatives must attend with all required documents, the Election Commission has stated that the entire process will be conducted transparently, impartially and strictly in accordance with the law, aiming to minimize disputes and uncertainty ahead of the polls, overall the commission’s preparedness and the CEC’s remarks signal a controlled, stable and cautiously optimistic electoral atmosphere as the country moves closer to the national election.