Former and current representatives of various local government bodies have proposed holding nonpartisan elections for local government institutions and placing these elections as well as general elections under a caretaker government.
They presented their proposals during a discussion with the Electoral Reform Commission on Sunday afternoon.
The meeting, held at the Parliament Building, included 20 representatives from union parishads, municipalities, upazila parishads and city corporations.
The commission’s chair, Badiul Alam Majumdar, briefed reporters about the suggestions following the discussion.
Nearly all participants had emphasized the need for nonpartisan elections for all local government bodies, Badiul said.
He added that some had also suggested a rotational voting system for reserved women’s seats in local government, and a few had raised the idea of making the presidential election more meaningful.
Additional proposals included conducting local government elections before national elections, extending the caretaker government’s term to six months to oversee both sets of elections and appointing returning officers from the Election Commission's staff instead of deputy commissioners, Badiul told reporters.
The commission head said the majority of participants had discussed enhancing the effectiveness of local governments.
Baidul added that they had recommended freeing local government institutions from the control of members of parliament and strengthening the local government system.
Meanwhile, former Rajshahi City Corporation mayor Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul told reporters after the meeting that local representatives had shared opinions on ensuring free, fair and impartial elections.
Suggestions included empowering the Election Commission, appointing returning officers from within its own ranks, facilitating swift voting processes and expediting election arrangements, he said.