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Download PDF Upazila elections too will be non-partisan as the Election Commission (EC) moves to promulgate new election rules with provisions barring candidates from using political affiliations.
Officials in the EC Secretariat are drafting the electoral rules and code of conduct for upazila polls in line with those already promulgated for elections to city corporations and municipalities, said EC sources.
The rules and code of conduct for August 4 local polls stipulate that candidates shall not use names and electoral symbols of the political parties they belong to, or names of any political leader during electioneering.
The same will apply to the contestants in upazila elections, according to the draft code of conduct.
The last upazila elections held in 1990 were non-partisan in terms of conduct procedures. No rule had been promulgated for that, and in absence of laws, candidates could use party affiliations in polls campaign while the parties could seek vote for their candidates.
The new electoral rules and code of conduct will put an end to that culture, added the sources.
They will also empower the EC to cancel anyone’s candidature for electoral irregularities.
Besides, they will require the candidates to seek permission from local police stations beforehand to hold rallies and meetings for electoral campaigns.
The EC officials, meantime, expect the new Upazila Parishad Ordinance to be made into a law soon. After approval of the council of advisers, the ordinance is now at the President’s Secretariat.
The new electoral laws on upazila parishad will authorise the commission to fix timetable for upazila polls.
They will also empower the EC to promulgate election rules. And once those are in force, the commission will finalise the draft electoral rules and code of conduct, officials in the EC Secretariat said.
The EC has already been preparing to begin holding elections to 482 upazila parishads at the end of August. However, the major political parties have been pressing the commission to conduct the ninth parliamentary polls first.
Voter lists for around 200 upazilas are expected to be ready by the third week of July and that will help the EC’s plan to announce schedule for the upazila polls next month.
If everything goes according to EC plan, around 200 upazilas might be going to polls in the first phase.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said the commission would finalise its decision on the upazila elections within the next two to four days.
The EC does not want to hold polls during the Ramadan that begins early September. It also does not want any local body polls in October since it will have to start preparations on full throttle for conducting the all-important parliamentary polls in the third week of December.
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