The Election Commission is thinking about proposing amendment to the upazila parishad laws to hold the polls on a single day.
It observes that violence escalated in the fourth round of the latest upazila parishad polls across the country because of holding the elections in phases.
“We are thinking of asking the government to add a clause to the existing law that will stipulate that the Election Commission can hold local body polls anytime it deems suitable after the tenures of the parishads are over,” Election Commissioner Mohammad Abu Hafiz said yesterday.
He said the EC would also propose amending the upazila parishad laws to clearly stipulate the timeframe for oath-taking and the first meeting of an upazila parishad.
Hafiz said it was now imperative to change the laws to hold a free, fair and neutral election.
The commission’s plan to this end will be presented at the full commission meeting scheduled to be held
after the return of Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad.
The CEC is supposed to return home on April 14.
“If these are changed in the current laws, the commission can hold the polls on the same day or at any suitable time,” Hafiz said.
He explained that the commission held the last upazila parishad polls in phases according to the laws as it was mandatory to hold the polls before the expiry of the tenure of the upazila parishad concerned. The tenure of upazila parishad expired at different times in different upazilas.
It is mandatory to swear in the new MPs-elect within three days after the gazette of parliamentary election results are published. If the same provision is included in the upazila parishad laws, the tenure of the elected representatives will start and end at the same time.
The commission pointed out some problems in the last upazila polls held in five phases, Hafiz said.
“The Election Commission will discuss them at the commission’s meeting. Then the commission will discuss them with its stakeholders, civil society and election observers before taking the final decision.”
The third upazila parishad polls were held on a single day on January 22, 2009. But after the swearing-in ceremony, the first meeting of the upazila parishads were called on different dates.
In 1990 also, the elections to upazila parishads were held on the same day.
