The Election Commission’s decision to hold union parishad elections under existing laws has raised questions over the fate of key electoral and local government reforms aimed at strengthening grassroots accountability and representation.
The EC plans to hold the polls in five phases between January and May next year, without incorporating recommendations made by the Electoral Reform Commission and the Local Government Reform Commission.
Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said the polls would be held strictly under existing laws.
Asked whether the EC would consider the reform proposals, he said, “No. These are matters for parliament now. We will consider them if the law is changed. We will not go an inch beyond the existing law.”
He said the EC had already submitted proposals requiring legislative changes but had received no response.
Any subsequent amendments could be incorporated into municipal elections, but the UP polls would proceed under the current legal framework, he added.
The reform commissions proposed major changes, including non-partisan local government elections, mandatory affidavits for UP chairman and member candidates, and rotational reservation of seats for women.
The Electoral Reform Commission also recommended requiring MPO-enlisted teachers to resign before contesting local polls and holding local government elections before the national election.
The Local Government Reform Commission proposed amending Article 119(1) of the Constitution to empower the EC to schedule and conduct local elections independently, without waiting for government requests.
Another major proposal was to replace direct elections for mayors and chairmen with a parliamentary-style system, under which voters would elect councillors and members, who would then choose executive office holders.
The commission also recommended bringing all five tiers of local government under a single law and election schedule, with nationwide voting in phases.
Commission members argued that the reforms could reduce the election process to one or two months from the current 225 days and cut costs. The government spent approximately Tk 2,300 crore on local government elections between 2021 and 2024.
The proposed rotational reservation system would allow women to represent their own wards directly, eliminating dual representation.
On MPO-enlisted teachers, Masud said the EC had proposed barring them from contesting local polls.
Zahed Ur Rahman, adviser to the prime minister and a former Electoral Reform Commission member, said proposals requiring legislative changes must first be approved by parliament.
Asked whether the government would consider the recommendations before the UP polls, he said, “Political parties, through the National Consensus Commission, have reached a consensus on many of the recommendations made by the Electoral Reform Commission and the Local Government Reform Commission regarding local government elections, while several others have been met with notes of dissent.”
He added, “The BNP government is different. BNP does not agree with all the recommendations of the Local Government Reform Commission. The party will implement only those reforms that are included in its election manifesto.”
Former Electoral Reform Commission member Abdul Alim said several important proposals remained unaddressed, particularly constitutional amendments to strengthen the EC’s authority over local elections.
“The necessary amendments can be made now,” he said, arguing that the current political environment offered an opportunity for reforms unavailable to previous governments.
Former Electoral Reform Commission chief Badiul Alam Majumdar said holding all local government elections on a single day could reduce costs, provided adequate security arrangements were ensured.
He also called for mandatory affidavits for UP candidates, saying voters should be able to examine their assets and backgrounds before voting.
Dhaka University Prof Kazi Maruful Islam, a former Local Government Reform Commission member, said the government had implemented the recommendation to abolish party symbols in local elections but had shown little interest in other structural reforms.
“One of our key recommendations was to abolish party symbols in local government elections, and the government has done that. But it has shown little interest in our other major structural recommendations, and we have seen no initiative to implement them.”
He warned that the upcoming polls might produce elected representatives without ensuring the decentralised framework needed to meet public expectations.
Maruful suggested forming an expert committee to review the recommendations of all reform commissions to make local governance more effective, inclusive and citizen-oriented.
Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/polls-ec-sticks-old-laws-key-reforms-left-out-4318836
