Ministers and MPs cannot campaign for votes while enjoying government privileges now that the election plan has been unveiled.
Published : 25 Nov 2013, 07:22 PM
The Election Commission will ‘strictly enforce’ the Code of Conduct to level the playing field for the contestants, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad has said.
"I want to categorically say that no leniency will be shown in applying the Election Code of Conduct. It won't see who holds what post," he said in an address to the nation on Monday.
He outlined the roadmap to the parliamentary elections, electoral laws and aspects of the electoral code of conduct.
Ahmad called on all parties to accept the code and make all leaders and activists honour it.
"What will be taken into account is his or her violation of the Election Code of Conduct and stern measures will be taken."
"I remind everyone that no deviation from the Code of Conduct will be tolerated."
The voting has been scheduled for Jan 5 under an elected government for the first time in almost two decades.
The Election Commission brought changes to the code and issued a binding order on Sunday.
The major political alliances of Bangladesh - the ruling Awami League-led Grand Alliance and the BNP-led 18-Party alliance - have been hammering away at each other over the format of the election-time dispensation even as the 90-day countdown to the parliamentary election began on Oct 25.
The Awami League feels the task of running a polls-time government should be retained by people’s representative to plug loopholes through which a non-elected government had assumed power in 2007.
The caretaker government, backed by the military, stayed on in the power for almost two years, imprisoning top politicians, including chiefs of both the AL and the BNP, accusing them of corruption and power abuse while in power.
The BNP has been agitating for a ‘non-party’ caretaker oversight, claiming the election will not be credible if the elected people remained in power during the election.
The opposition alliance that it leads has threatened to boycott the election held in any other manner.
The Awami Leaguehas formed an 'all-party' cabinet and invited the Opposition to join it.
CEC Ahmad also hoped for a political compromise between the two political blocs.
The BNP has rejected the elections plan, calling a 48-hour nationwide blockade of roads, rail and waterways starting from 6am on Tuesday.
The party has demanded the election schedule be suspended until a settlement with the ruling alliance is reached.
The previous Code of Conduct had been made in keeping with the one of the non-party caretaker government, Ahmed, a former Secretary, said.
"So, some changes have been made to the Code of Conduct to ensure a level-playing field for all in the election, bringing the interim Prime Minister, Opposition Leader, Ministers and other privileged government functionaries under some sanctions in the run-up to the election," he added.
The code had been amended in light of that in India, the UK, Australia and Malaysia, said the Chief Election Commissioner.
As per the code, the Prime Minister, Opposition Leader and other ministers cannot be part of any election campaign with government facilities in place.
But they will get due protection.
The CEC said no MPs can attend meetings of the managing committees of educational institutions before the election.
Nor can they provide money from any authorised fund or funds that fall under their jurisdiction.
They even cannot use any government facilities, including vehicles, during election canvassing.
"No traditional showdown will be tolerated during the submission of the nomination papers. And if any candidate breaks the code of conduct, his or her candidacy may get uncertain," he cautioned.
The Code of Conduct, he said, would remain in force until the publication of the election results from the day the schedule has been announced.