Party symbols will no longer be used in local government elections.
The decision came at a meeting of the Advisory Council of the interim government on Thursday, following a proposal from the Local Government Ministry..
Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, the adviser for the ministry, made the announcement on Facebook.
Earlier, on July 1, the ministry had prepared drafts of four separate ordinances related to the matter and submitted them to the Cabinet Division.
Following approval from the Advisory Council and the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division, the ordinances will be published in the form of a gazette.
The Advisory Council formally approved the proposed drafts on Thursday.
As a result of this new decision, political parties will no longer be able to officially nominate candidates for local government elections.
All candidates will run as independents, officially referred to as non-partisan candidates.
The decision to introduce party symbols in local government elections was first implemented in 2015 under the Awami League-led government.
Since then, various political parties and election experts have consistently demanded the abolition of party symbols in such elections.
Both the Election System Reform Commission and the Local Government Reform Commission, formed under the interim government, also recommended the removal of party symbols.
Experts believe that eliminating this provision will encourage many competent individuals who are not directly affiliated with political parties to contest in the elections.
Discussions regarding local government elections under the interim government have gained momentum in the lead-up to the upcoming national parliamentary elections.
Although the BNP has expressed opposition to holding local government polls prior to the national election, parties such as Jamaat-e-Islami, the National Citizen Party (NCP) and Islami Andolan Bangladesh have been calling for local elections.
Against this political backdrop, the government has moved to repeal the provision of party symbols from four key laws governing the local government framework.
