Online Report
Election to local-government bodies reverts to nonpartisan system as the interim government scraps the party-symbol provision widely disliked for “politicisation” of local governance.
“The Council of Advisers of the interim government Thursday approved amendments to four laws related to local governance so that party symbols are no longer used in local-government elections,” said Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, Adviser for the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives, at a press briefing.
Previously, on July 1, the Ministry of Local Government had drafted four separate ordinances on the matter and submitted to the Cabinet Division. The drafts were then reviewed by the Council of Advisers and would now proceed through the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division for final approval and gazette notification.
Under this new provision, political parties will no longer be allowed to officially nominate candidates in local elections. All candidates will be considered nonpartisan or independent-a long, time-tested tradition in Bangladesh.
The decision to introduce party symbols in local elections was first made during the tenure of the Awami League government in 2015. Since then, various political parties and election experts have repeatedly
called for an end to the use of party symbols in local elections.
Both the Election System Reform Commission and the Local Government Reform Commission formed by the incumbent interim government also recommended abolishing party-based candidacies.
The adviser notes that removing this provision “will encourage many capable individuals – who are not directly affiliated with political parties – to participate in elections”.
With the next national parliamentary election approaching, the issue of local- government elections has sparked renewed political debate. While the BNP has opposed holding local elections before the national polls, several parties – including Jamaat-e-Islami, the National Citizens’ Party (NCP), and Islami Andolan Bangladesh – support local polls taking place earlier.
However, responding to a question, the adviser said that whether the local-government polls will be held before the general election or not will be decided on the basis of consensus among all the political parties.