The Election Commission (EC) wants its old authority back—the power to cancel the entire election in a constituency if major irregularities happen during voting.
What Changed Before the 2024 Election?
In 2023, before the 12th National Election, the then Awami League government changed the Representation of the People Order (RPO).
This change limited the Election Commission’s authority, allowing it to cancel votes only in individual polling centres, not the entire constituency.
This decision faced strong criticism from opposition parties at the time.
What the Election Commissioner Said
On Thursday, July 10, after the 8th Commission Meeting at Agargaon Election Office, Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd.) Abul Fazl Md. Sanaullah spoke to journalists.
He said:
“We have proposed to get back our authority to cancel elections in an entire constituency. Earlier, we had this power, but it was removed. Now we can only cancel votes of specific centres.”
He also added:
“We hope to get this authority back soon.”
The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal chaired the meeting, where other commissioners and senior EC officials were also present.
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Why Was This Power Removed?
In 2018, the EC cancelled the entire by-election of Gaibandha-5 due to massive irregularities.
Later, the government changed the RPO and removed that power, saying EC can only cancel votes of centers where security or fairness was compromised.
On Wednesday, Abul Kalam Azad Majumdar, Deputy Press Secretary of the Chief Adviser, said:
“The EC once cancelled a whole by-election by reviewing CCTV footage. But now their power is limited.”
The Chief Adviser has now asked for legal review to see whether this power can be returned to the EC.
RPO Amendment Discussion Still Ongoing
Commissioner Sanaullah said that although the proposal to amend the RPO was raised in Thursday’s meeting, a full discussion will happen in the next meeting.
Sources said the EC is planning reforms in many areas, including:
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Amending the RPO
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Special laws for election officials
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Changes in candidate affidavits
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Updating EC Secretariat law
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Voting by post
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Use of EVM
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Party registration rules
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Voter list updates
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Redrawing of constituencies
Candidate Affidavits Might Include Lifetime Criminal Records
The EC is also thinking of extending the scope of candidate affidavits.
Currently, criminal records of the last 20 years are required.
But the EC is considering including a candidate’s lifetime criminal record in the affidavit.
New Voter List: Over 44 Lakh New Voters
From January 20, the EC conducted a door-to-door campaign to update the voter list.
Key figures:
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44,06,602 new voters added
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21,32,590 dead voters removed
The draft list will be published next week, and the final list will come out in August, after objections and corrections.
New Structure for EC Staff Recruitment
The EC is planning to create a new structure called “Election Commission Service” to manage staff recruitment like secretaries and officials.
Also, minor changes are being proposed to the 1991 Election Officer Special Law.
Redrawing Parliamentary Seats
The EC is finalizing changes in parliamentary seat boundaries.
Out of 300 seats, 221 had no objections during review.
The draft boundary list is expected to be published next week.
About Dhaka seats, Sanaullah said:
“There will not be major changes in Dhaka.”
Postal Ballot for Overseas Bangladeshis
For the first time, expatriate Bangladeshis may get the chance to vote by postal ballot in the next national election.
Sanaullah said a Tk 48 crore development project has been proposed.
Expatriates can apply online, and arrangements will be made to send them the ballots in time.
Two options are being considered:
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Sending blank ballots so voters can write the candidate’s name
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Sending pre-printed ballots with symbols
There’s also a plan to create a special registration system for overseas voters.
The system will be tested in pilot phase first.
EVM to Be Discontinued
The EC has officially decided not to use Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in upcoming elections.
Sanaullah explained:
“There is no political consensus on EVMs. Also, the Reform Commission did not recommend it. So, we decided not to use EVMs.”
A special committee will be formed to formally finalize this decision.
115 New Election Symbols Proposed
The EC has proposed 115 new election symbols to the Law Ministry—excluding the previously used “Shapla” (water lily) symbol.
If approved, the total number of official election symbols will rise from 69 to 115.
A committee had earlier selected 150 symbols, but the EC finalized 115 after internal review.
Now the proposal is waiting for the Law Ministry’s approval, which may also add or remove some symbols.
Source: TBS
