LOCAL BODY POLLS : EC seeks power to fix time

The Election Commission on Sunday sent a letter to the local government ministry seeking authority to fix the time for elections to local government institutions, including city corporation, upazila parishad, municipal council and union parishad.
Commission assistant secretary Rawshan Ara sent the letter to the local government division secretary proposing amendments to the local government laws in this regard, a commission official told New Age.
The commission also suggested amendments to the laws making provisions for holding elections to the local government bodies in 90 days before the expiry of their tenure, the official said.
It also recommended that the commission should be empowered to decide the time of election to any local government body if it failed to hold the election in 90 days before the expiry of the tenure, said the official.
According to the existing laws, the elections have to be held in 180 days after the expiry of the tenures of city corporations, upazila parishads and union parishads and in 90 days after the expiry of the tenure of municipal councils.
Chief election commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad told reporters on Sunday that the commission would conduct the upcoming elections to upazila parishads in December with party nominations if the government issued an ordinance amending the respective law in a short time.
‘If the government delays the issuance of the ordinance, the commission would conduct the elections following the existing law,’ he said emerging from a meeting with the representatives of the Dhaka South City Corporation at the National Economic Council auditorium.

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