Trackback URL
Download PDF The caretaker government has planned to hold the long due elections to upazila parishads simultaneously with the ninth parliamentary elections next year.
In view of this government plan, the Election Commission (EC) yesterday announced that upazila parishad elections, which have not been held for the last 17 years, will be held at any time between November and December next year.
“We will also hold elections to upazila parishads in 2008,” Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said while unveiling the EC roadmap with announcement for polls to other local government bodies like the city corporations, municipalities and union parishads.
Elections to these local government bodies will begin next January for those areas where the voter list will be ready, he said.
Election Commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain told The Daily Star last night that holding the upazila parishad elections at the time of national polls is under active consideration.
“We will however decide later whether it is possible or not,” Sohul said.
The CEC announced on April 5 that it would not be possible to hold any election before October next year since the EC needs 18 months to prepare the voter list with photographs.
The announcement of the EC roadmap to polls, however, indicates that the EC is considering the necessity of holding the long due elections to these local government bodies.
“Elections to the local government bodies including city corporations, municipalities and union parishads will begin next January and continue up to December 2008,” the CEC said.
Asked how it will be possible to hold elections if the state of emergency remains in force, the CEC said the emergency provision will be relaxed for the areas concerned to hold the polls.
UPAZILA PARISHAD IN LOCAL GOVT
The first election to the upazila parishads was held in 1985 after its introduction in the local government system during the regime of military ruler HM Ershad. But the very existence of upazila parishads faced severe crisis following the second election in 1990 when Ershad stepped down in the face of mass movement.
The BNP government assumed power in 1991 and dissolved the upazila system. The Supreme Court in a judgment in 1992 directed the government to hold elections to upazila parishads within six months, but the BNP government did not hold the polls in its tenure.
Assuming power through the 1996 general elections, the Awami League passed the Upazila Parishad Act in 1998. The law empowered the EC to declare the schedule for upazila parishad elections.
However, in the midst of volatile political situation, the then EC could not conduct the upazila parishad polls and later the government amended the upazila law and took the authority for announcing its election schedules.
The immediate past BNP-led alliance government, which came to power through the 2001 elections, moved for holding upazila parishad elections and formed a cabinet committee. But the committee members failed to reach a consensus on holding the polls.
All these governments had meanwhile sought extension of time on many occasions from the Supreme Court to comply with its directives for holding the polls.
The current caretaker government has now moved for holding the upazila parishad elections and assured the EC of returning to it the power for announcing the polls schedule for over 450 upazila parishads.
POLLS TO OTHER LOCAL GOVT BODIES
The tenure of the city corporations in Dhaka, Rajshahi and Khulna expired on May 14, June 16 and June 26 this year. Elections to these city corporations have not been held on time due to the state of emergency and lack of a voter list.
As per rules, polls to any city corporation are due within the last six months of their tenure.
The tenure of two other city corporations–Sylhet and Barisal–will expire around April-May next year.
Meanwhile, the five-year tenure of over 4,000 union parishads will expire between next January and March. According to the laws, elections to the union parishads are to be held within the last six months of their tenure.
By-elections to some union parishads are also due.
Apart from this, elections to 90 municipalities will be due by the end of this year with the tenure of around 50 having already expired.
Elections to the rest 115 municipalities were held on May 5-10, 2004 and their tenure will expire in 2009.
Comments are not moderated and only expresses personal views of visitors. BangladeshNews.com.bd is not responsible for commets posted by visitors.
Leave a Reply