Option for ‘No’ vote made, party registration must

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The council of advisers yesterday approved in principle the Representation of the People Ordinance 2008 making registration of the political parties mandatory and incorporating an option of negative voting.

The new ordinance will reduce the maximum number of seats to be contested by a candidate to three from five. It will also make it compulsory for the contestants to submit the statement on polls expenditure within 90 days of the election.

The advisory council nodded its approval for the ordinance at a meeting with Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed in the chair.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, CA’s Press Secretary Syed Fahim Munaim said, “The ordinance will come back to the cabinet for final approval after being vetted by the law ministry.”

A gazette notification on it might come by the end of this month, he added.

According to the draft law, voters will be allowed to cast ‘no’ votes if they do not find anyone to be their chosen candidate. Election to a certain constituency will be cancelled and re-run if the ‘no’ votes there are 50 percent or more of the vote.

A candidate, on party ticket or independent, will not be allowed to spend more than Tk 15 lakh for a parliamentary seat.

The expenditure ceiling for the political parties having more than 200 candidates will be Tk 4.50 crore. It will be Tk 3 crore for those having between 100 and 200 candidates, Tk 1.5 crore for those having at least 100 candidates and Tk 50 lakh for the parties fielding less than 50 candidates. Violator of the provisions will be fined Tk 10 lakh.

The law ministry and the Election Commission have drafted the ordinance that will also have provisions to bar bureaucrats, loan defaulters and those convicted from participating in the elections.

Besides, an individual adjudged by a court will be ineligible to compete in the polls and the same will apply to someone who has become citizen of another country.

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