One-day polls for local government: How feasible is the commission's proposal?

Election expert Jesmin Tuli finds the proposal “chaotic”, saying each voter may need 30 minutes to cast their vote

The Local Government Reform Commission has recommended an overhaul of the electoral process, suggesting the removal of direct voting for mayors and chairmen.

Instead, it proposed that only councillors or members be elected directly.

The commission has also proposed that elections for all five tiers of local government be held on the same day under a unified schedule, aiming to save time and costs.

According to the recommendation, a unified 40-day election schedule would be issued, dividing the country into geographical zones.

Voters in each zone would select representatives for all local bodies on the same day.

In its report, published on Sunday, the commission proposed replacing the current separate laws for each local body with a single legal framework.

Commission chief Tofail Ahmed handed over the report to Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna on Sunday.

He later briefed the media at the Foreign Service Academy.

Tofail explained that under the proposed system, voters would directly elect councillors or members for union, Upazila, and district councils, as well as municipalities and city corporations.

These elected members would then choose the chairmen and mayors through an internal vote.

The commission also recommended introducing both full-time and part-time councillor roles, which would allow government employees to serve in local government positions.

However, local government and election analysts remain sceptical about how practical such a shift would be, particularly if the current candidate nomination system remains in place.

Jesmin Tuli, an election expert and former additional secretary of the Election Commission, described the proposal as "chaotic", predicting that voting could take up to 30 minutes per voter, making the process difficult to implement.

Former local government secretary Abu Alam Shahid Khan also said the proposal would be difficult to implement under current circumstances.

However, he believes it could be viable if only union council members were directly elected, and they then voted to select representatives at the higher levels.

WHAT JUSTIFIES THE SHIFT IN THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION SYSTEM?

Commission head Tofail called for a shift in the local election process, drawing a parallel with the national parliamentary model to justify the recommendation.

“In national polls, we vote for MPs, not the prime minister. Similarly, at every level of local government—union, Upazila, district councils, municipalities and city corporations—only members or councillors would be directly elected,” he said.

The commission recommends holding these polls under a single schedule.

Once the members or councillors are elected, the chairman or mayor would then be selected from among them.

“This would be the legal structure. The chairman or mayor would be elected under the leadership of the president of the council. That person would then appoint a full-time council of three to five members. They would work full-time and draw salaries and benefits. The rest would serve part-time as presidents or members of standing committees,” Tofail explained.

The commission also proposed replacing the five separate laws governing the union, Upazila and district councils, municipalities and city corporations with a single law.

“There are five different acts for these institutions. Together with over a hundred subordinate laws and numerous rules and notifications, they form a legal maze that obstructs local governance,” he said.

“So, we are suggesting a consolidated law,” he added.

A draft of this unified law has already been prepared, the summary of the recommendations noted.

Once issued as an ordinance, elections for all five local bodies could be conducted under a joint schedule.

“The five separate acts sometimes mirror each other, and sometimes they contradict one another. We’ve reviewed all of them and compiled them into one,” said Tofail.

On the timing of elections, he clarified: “We’re not proposing that elections take place on the same day, but under a unified schedule. The country can be divided into different geographic zones, and polls for all levels held within that same period.”

Elections for union, Upazila and municipal levels resemble national polls in scale and preparation, he said.

“They require the same kind of logistical arrangement as a general election.”

Justifying the overhaul, he said: “When elections stretch across five years under the same government, it creates unrest, uncertainty and disorder. Valuable time is lost.”

“We’ve calculated that around 225 days are spent conducting these polls. And despite that, there are incidents of violence and casualties. The system needs simplification.”

“To put it into perspective,” he added, “we can complete all these elections in a 40-day window with one schedule at the start of a government’s tenure. That way, the government can function smoothly for five years without holding more elections.”

Such a change, he said, would also bring alignment between the central and local governments.

“Union, Upazila, municipalities and city corporations can work alongside the national government for the entire term. They’ll be able to design and implement annual and five-year plans together.”

Tofail also pointed to financial benefits.

“Local government elections from 2021 to 2024 cost the state about Tk 23 billion. Under the new system, this could be reduced to around Tk 6–7 billion. The time required would drop to 40 days.”

“More than 1.9 million officials were involved in those polls. That figure could drop to around 900,000. We believe this is a fundamental reform.”

ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS PRACTICAL?

Analysts believe mplementing these recommendations will be challenging, particularly when considering voters' time and the complexity of election management.

Election expert Jesmin told bdnews24.com it would be tough to manage multiple ballots at once as suggested.

“This would mean a voter stamping more than five ballot papers at the same time. How will they manage that? I think the commission is holding too high an expectation. In reality, this is very tough.”

She added, “For example, in a Union Parishad, a voter would cast one vote for the ward member and one for the chairman – that’s two ballots.

“Then for Upazila Parishad, there would be a chairman and vice chairman – more ballots. Overall, it would take nearly half an hour for a single voter.”

She highlighted a similar experience in 2008 when the idea of holding parliamentary and Upazila elections together was considered but later dismissed by the administration and police as "not feasible”.

“So many more polling stations would be needed. I don’t think this is a realistic decision,” Jesmin said.

“There’s also the matter of counting. Voting isn’t the only task – ballots must be sorted, counted, and results declared.”

Former local government secretary Abu Alam Shahid Khan believes that while implementing such recommendations is “impossible” within the current framework, it would be feasible to hold elections on the same day if only members or councillors are elected.

He suggested that the idea could work under a parliamentary-style system, with structural and legal reforms.

“Problems may arise under the current system,” Alam said.” But if the government takes the necessary steps, why not? For instance, in Union Parishad elections, voters now cast three votes – one for the chairman, one for the reserved women’s seat, and one for the member.”

He added, “If we reform the current structure so that only members are elected first, and then the members elect a chairman like in parliament, the voter only casts one ballot.

“The other two are handled within the council.”

The analyst noted the same approach could be applied to Upazila and municipal levels. “Structural changes are necessary. If we change the structure, holding all elections on one day becomes possible.”

On the commission’s proposal to form a separate local government commission, Alam said it was a “necessary” step.

“Such a commission is needed. The way the current local government division operates shows we require different types of institutions and a more consistent operational approach.”

He also stressed the need for a unified legal framework for all five local government institutions.

“There should be a single law. Right now, there are different laws with different interpretations, which creates confusion.

“For instance, the law for Upazila Parishads includes MPs as advisors,” Alam added. “But no such provision exists in the laws for other bodies like municipalities.

“As a result, MPs try to exert influence over Upazila parishads, trying to control them.

“A uniform law would help create equal councils across the board and lead to better governance,” he concluded.

COMMISSION’S OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS

The Local Government Reform Commission has submitted 51 recommendations to the interim government, aiming for radical changes in the election system, revenue policy, and scope of work of the local government structure.

One key recommendation is to abolish the post of chairman at the union and Upazila levels, replacing it with councils composed of elected members.

“Local government is the oldest form of state,” Tofail said at the briefing. “Since British rule, its structure has been imposed top-down and remains under the control of the deputy commissioner’s office.

“The current system needs a radical change. We have called for a democratic transformation at the union, Upazila, and district levels."

According to the commission chief, current systems concentrate most of the power in the hands of elected chairmen, leaving members with little authority.

“We have proposed abolishing the chairman post in elections. The elected members will choose their council head."

“A smaller, more focused council will be formed,” he added. “This will allow all elected representatives to play a role in local governance, preventing power from being concentrated in the hands of one individual.”

The commission also recommended setting the number of ward members based on population, with a range from a minimum of 9 to a maximum of 39.

On funding, the commission advised increasing the local government’s share of national resources. “A major portion of local government funding must come from the central government. Currently, less than 0.5 percent of the national budget is spent on local government — this must increase. People pay taxes to the central government as well,” said Tofail.

The commission chief suggested that one-third of the value-added tax (VAT) should be allocated to local governments and added that spending must be monitored closely.

The commission has also proposed a revised distribution of public workforce responsibilities.

Tofail said: “Right now, the same duties are assigned to both central and local governments. But local authorities don’t receive budgets, only responsibilities.

“Union, Upazila and district-level government staff salaries should be funded by local governments, with allocations from the central government,” Tofail said.

He explained that there are 17 government departments in each Upazila and officials from seven ministries in each union, but “no activity, no work, and no budgets”.

The commission calls for reactivating these local units and recommends building a full-scale hospital in each union with three doctors.

“At Upazila health complexes, there should be 12 doctors, but they are not there. If the government cannot manage this, let it be privatised,” Tofail added.

On judicial reforms, the commission called for full-fledged civil and criminal courts at the Upazila level.

“This is not a new idea — it has been practised before. Misuse of village courts has forced people back to traditional arbitration,” the report reads.

The commission recommended dissolving village courts and establishing Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) centres at Upazilas.

“There’s no need to run justice through the executive branch. The practice of holding courts inside police stations in the name of arbitration must stop.”

To streamline staffing and wages, the commission proposes a new recruitment policy for local government.

“The government should pay 70 percent, local government 30 percent of the salaries. Village and town police units should be formed,” the report says.

Tofail said: “We’ve advised implementing local government systems in the Chittagong Hill Tracts as well.

“District council elections must be introduced there. VAT and tax exemptions for government projects in the region should be revoked,” he concluded.

[Writing in English by Arshi Fatiha Quazi and Sheikh Fariha Brisry]