The Daily Star
The Election Commission (EC) has said it has no plan to deploy armed forces personnel in the upcoming local government elections, which are likely to begin in September-October this year and continue in phases into early next year.
As part of its preparations, the EC is drafting uniform rules for elections to five types of local government bodies — city corporations, municipalities, upazila parishads, district councils and union parishads — since existing codes of conduct differ across these tiers.
The rule-making process is expected to be completed by June, although the commission has yet to decide which elections will be held first.
On May 14, the EC’s Law and Rules Reform Committee held its second meeting, where it discussed revisions to the code of conduct for local government elections, the role of law enforcement agencies, the question of army deployment, raising candidates’ security deposits, increasing the ceiling on election expenditure, candidacy conditions, and broader election preparedness.
Addressing concerns over violence and the role of law enforcement, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said the polls would be conducted in a phased manner.
“We will hold these elections in a scattered manner. Different areas will vote separately, not all at once,” he said.
Responding to questions on whether army deployment would be required if violence escalates, he said, “Suppose we are conducting elections in Dhaka division and police will work there. But we are not in favour of deploying the army. Even if the army is present, they will perform normal duties.”
He added that the EC would retain the option of calling in the armed forces if necessary.
“If we see the army is needed, we will call them. If incidents rise in one place, then we will call the army in the next slot with justification.”
Acknowledging that local elections have historically seen higher levels of violence, including clashes and fatalities, Masud said the EC would seek to minimise such incidents.
“We will try to ensure no lives are lost in local polls. Even if incidents occur, we will try to keep them very limited,” he said.
He also said the commission would engage political parties and stakeholders ahead of the elections.
On preparations, Masud added, “We want to ensure a level playing field in local government elections. The work on rules will also be completed by June.”
Bangladesh has no precedent of armed forces deployment in local government elections, although during the Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) election in late October 2011, the then EC requested the Armed Forces Division to deploy the army for five days to maintain law and order, though the request was ultimately not implemented.
Election expert and former member of the Electoral Reform Commission Abdul Alim said army deployment is generally unnecessary in local government elections.
Referring to the NCC case, he noted that the deployment request was denied by the government.
“National elections are held in a single day, so maintaining law and order is very challenging. But local government elections are held phase by phase. With good planning, elections can be conducted without the army,” he said.
Meanwhile, on May 18, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said local government elections must meet the same standards as the 13th parliamentary polls.
He stressed the need for awareness campaigns, stakeholder engagement, and cooperation from political parties to ensure peaceful elections.
No local government elections have been held in more than two years, leaving the commission with a significant backlog as the tenures of many bodies have already expired.
Bangladesh currently has 13 city corporations, 500 upazila parishads, 61 district councils, and 4,580 union parishads.
According to EC data, of the 4,580 union parishads, 1,429 will be up for elections by the end of May, while 3,849 are set to mature by November.
Due to various complications, 104 union parishads are currently unfit for elections. Of these, 79 are stalled due to legal disputes, 18 due to boundary issues, and seven due to voter list complications.
Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/news/politics/news/local-polls-be-held-phases-sep-oct-no-plan-deploy-army-ec-4184471
