RPO amendment: Party symbols mandatory in coalitions

The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs issued the gazette of the ordinance on Monday, as earlier, on October 23, the advisory council approved the draft of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Ordinance.

After the publication of the gazette on the amendment, several important new provisions have been introduced in this national election.

The amended ordinance includes provisions ranging from the reintroduction of the "no vote" to making the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) as electoral offense.

According to the revised RPO, a person declared fugitive by a court will be disqualified from contesting elections.

The definition of law enforcement agencies has been expanded to include the armed forces, namely the army, navy, air force and coast guard.

The provision for "no vote" has been reinstated in constituencies with a single candidate, while in the event of a tie between candidates, a re-election will be held instead of determining the winner by lottery.

In the amended RPO, candidates contesting under an alliance must use the electoral symbol of their respective parties. Besides, the election deposit has been revised to Tk 50,000, while violation of the electoral code of conduct may result in a maximum fine of Tk 150,000 and up to six months' imprisonment.

In addition, an IT-supported postal voting system has been introduced, enabling eligible voters- including expatriates, government officials posted outside their constituencies, and voters currently under lawful custody - to cast their ballots remotely.

Moreover, the Election Commission (EC) has been empowered to annul the results of an entire constituency if electoral irregularities are proven.

On the other hand, misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) has been classified as an electoral offence, and the EC may take action against candidates who submit false information in affidavits, even after being elected.

The article 12 of amended RPO stated that a court-declared fugitive or absconding accused is ineligible to become a member of parliament. A person holding the chair of the governing body of an educational institution or an executive position will also not be able to be a candidate. An executive position in an organization has also been defined as a "position of profit". The affidavit must include the source of income from home and abroad along with the latest tax return, reports BSS. 

The article 21 mentioned that the election agent must be a voter of the constituency concerned, while the provision for voting in EVMs has been abolished by the article 26.

Provisions have been made for media personnel to enter polling stations and they would also be allowed to be present during the counting of votes according to article 29 and article 36.