The government has issued an ordinance abolishing the provisions for allocation of party symbols in local government elections.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin signed the ordinance.
The ordinance, signed by President Mohammed Shahabuddin, was issued on Monday by amending the Union Parishad, Upazila Parishad, Municipality, and City Corporation laws. As a result, party nominations will no longer have legal validity in future local government elections.
Earlier, on July 1, the Ministry of Local Government drafted four separate ordinances on the matter and sent them to the Cabinet Division. Following approval by the Advisory Council on July 24 and consent from the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division, the ordinance was published in the form of a gazette.
In 2015, the Awami League government amended the law to introduce voting with party symbols in city, municipal, upazila, and union elections. That law has now been revised to pave the way for non-party symbols.
The Election System Reform Commission and the Local Government Reform Commission, formed by the interim government, had earlier recommended excluding party symbols.