Candidates in the upcoming national election, even if they belong to an electoral alliance, will have to contest under their own party symbols—as per a newly approved draft amendment to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) by the interim government’s Advisory Council.
The approval came on Thursday (October 23) during a meeting of the Advisory Council chaired by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at his office in Tejgaon, Dhaka. Later, Law Adviser Professor Asif Nazrul and Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed reporters at the Foreign Service Academy about the meeting’s decisions.
According to the amended draft, the definition of “law enforcement agencies” has been expanded to include the Army, Navy, and Air Force. This means members of the armed forces can now perform election duties at polling centers like the police, without requiring any separate order.
Professor Asif Nazrul said that all provisions related to Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have been abolished in the revised RPO. It has also been specified that fugitives facing criminal cases will not be eligible to contest elections.
Candidates will be required to submit affidavits detailing their income and assets from both domestic and foreign sources, which will be published online. The security deposit for candidates has been increased from Tk 20,000 to Tk 50,000, to be determined by the respective district election officer.
The amendment also introduces a “No Vote” provision. If a parliamentary seat has only one candidate, voters will be able to cast a “No” vote. Furthermore, the Election Commission will now have the authority to suspend voting for an entire constituency in case of irregularities.