Despite being a weeklong holiday, banks nationwide will stay open on Saturday, December 27, to make it easier for candidates running in the 13th National Parliament election to submit their nomination papers.

The Bangladesh Bank announced this decision on Wednesday, December 24, following a request from the Election Commission (EC).

According to the notice, all scheduled banks’ branches will operate on December 27 to allow candidates to pay deposits and purchase voter list CDs through bank drafts, pay orders, or treasury challans.

The deadline for submitting nomination papers is December 29. Earlier, December 25 was a holiday for Christmas, and December 26–27 were scheduled weekly holidays. The EC requested banks remain open to prevent difficulties for candidates submitting papers during these consecutive holidays.