The government has issued the Representation of the People Order (RPO) Amendment Ordinance, 2025, ahead of the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election, keeping a key provision that requires each registered political party in an alliance to contest the election under its own electoral symbol.
The Law Ministry published the gazette notification of the ordinance on Monday (November 3).
Earlier, on October 23, the Advisory Council meeting gave its policy approval to the draft amendment of the RPO. The BNP had objected to the clause, arguing that alliance-backed candidates should be allowed to contest under the major party’s symbol. However, Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Conservative Party (NCP) supported keeping the amendment under Section 20 intact.
Amid the debate, the government finally retained the provision, making it mandatory for alliance members to contest using their respective party symbols, not that of a larger partner.
Following this amendment, the Election Commission (EC) is expected to soon issue updated codes of conduct for political parties and candidates in accordance with the revised RPO.