October-March ideal period to begin local govt polls: EC

The Election Commission (EC) plans to complete the revision and updating of all rules and codes of conduct related to local government elections by June next year, considering the period from late October to March as the most suitable time to begin elections to local government bodies.

The commission believes that elections to union parishads and municipalities should be held first, as people are being deprived of essential services due to the absence of elected representatives in grassroots bodies.

The EC also plans to hold local government elections in phases to ensure peaceful polls and avoid the violence that has marked many local elections in the past.

Since there are no elected representatives in almost all local bodies, the commission estimates that it would take 10–12 months to complete elections across all institutions.

As part of preparations to conduct local government elections nationwide, the commission is currently revising separate rules and election codes for city corporations, municipalities, zila parishads, upazila parishads and union parishads.

The move aims to modernise the rules and align them with amended local government laws that have restored non-partisan elections to key posts, such as mayors and chairpersons, while removing the provision for the use of political party symbols.

The interim government has amended the Local Government (Union Parishad) Act 2009, Local Government (Municipality) Act 2009, Upazila Parishad Act 1998, Zila Parishad Act 2000, and Local Government (City Corporation) Act 2009. The amendments were later ratified by parliament.

"We want to complete updating and reforming the rules and codes of conduct related to all types of local government elections by June next year," said Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud.

He added that although separate rules and codes will remain for different local government bodies, the codes of conduct will be largely similar across all categories.

"The code of conduct for local government elections will also largely be similar to the code used for the February 12 parliamentary election," he said to UNB on Sunday (31 May)

Regarding possible changes, the election commissioner said the use of posters will be banned, while stricter provisions will be introduced to curb misinformation, disinformation, and the misuse of AI, particularly on social media.

He also said the requirement for collecting signatures from a specific number of voters would be removed, while the amount of security deposits for candidates—except women contesting reserved seats—would be increased to a reasonable level.

The EC will publish draft rules on its website for at least 15 days to seek public opinion and suggestions from stakeholders. It may also hold consultations, although no final decision has yet been made, he added.

Regarding the possible timeframe for elections, Rahmanel said the period from late October to March would be most suitable for conducting local government polls.

Asked about the EC's priority, he said, "We will suggest holding elections based on need. In that case, elections to union parishads and municipalities should come first, while elections to city corporations should be held in the final stage."

Addressing concerns about past election-related violence, he said the current Election Commission, headed by AMM Nasir Uddin, would be careful to ensure violence-free local government elections, similar to the 13th parliamentary election, which he described as the most peaceful.

"We will be very careful so that there are no casualties in local government elections. We will arrange staggered elections to deploy a larger number of law enforcement personnel in election areas," he said, stressing the need for cooperation from all stakeholders to maintain a peaceful electoral environment.

The election commissioner said the EC would initially rely on regular law enforcement agencies, including police, RAB, BGB and Ansar, to maintain law and order during the elections. If necessary, the armed forces may also be deployed later, he added.

According to EC estimates, elections to 12 city corporations (excluding the newly formed Bogura City Corporation), over 450 upazila parishads, more than 300 municipalities, and 61 zila parishads are already overdue and can be held immediately without legal complications.

Besides, the legal timeframe for elections to around 600 union parishads began in April, making polls mandatory by October next. The 180-day countdown for elections in more than 2,800 additional union parishads will begin in July.

As local government elections are conducted at the request of the Local Government Division, the EC will announce election schedules after receiving a green light from the government.