Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed has said that the results of the upcoming national parliamentary election and the referendum will be announced simultaneously.

He made the announcement on Monday while briefing reporters at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital`s Agargaon area.

He said, ``Counting at polling centers will be completed within 3 to 3.5 or 4 hours after voting ends, depending on the number of votes cast. However, counting will take more time at expatriate voting centers. This is because there are different types of ballot papers -- one for expatriate voters and another for domestic use.``

The vote counting for the referendum and the national parliamentary election will be conducted concurrently. One polling officer will be assigned for every 400 envelopes. To provide overall assistance, members of the BNCC will be deployed at the polling centers.