Major electoral reforms in amended RPO ahead of election

“According to the RPO, we’ll now examine whether any change is needed in the code of conduct,” says Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud

As Bangladesh moves closer to the February polls, the Election Commission has entered the final stage of legal reforms with the approval of the amended Representation of the People Order by the Advisory Council -- a step that brings relief within the commission.

The ordinance will take effect after the president’s signature, leaving only the finalisation of the code of conduct.

This year’s amendment to the electoral law introduces a series of significant changes. Among them:

Fugitives declared absconders by a court will no longer be eligible to contest elections.

The Armed Forces are now officially included in the definition of law enforcement after 15 years.

The ‘No’ vote option returns for constituencies with a single candidate.

In case of a tie, re-voting will replace lottery draws.

Coalition candidates must contest under their own party’s electoral symbol.

The nomination deposit has been raised to Tk 50,000 from Tk 20,000.

Political parties violating the code of conduct will face fines of up to Tk 150,000.

IT-supported postal voting has been introduced.

The EC will have the power to cancel the results of an entire constituency in case of widespread irregularities.

AI misuse in elections will be treated as an electoral offence.

If false information is found in affidavits, action may be taken even after the election results.

The draft of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, received both policy and final approval from the Advisory Council on Thursday.

The EC will formally review the ordinance once it receives the official copy to ensure that all proposals it submitted have been included.

Based on the amended RPO, the EC will proceed to gazette the finalised code of conduct. The draft version of the Political Party and Candidate Code of Conduct 2025 has already been prepared.

When contacted on Friday, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud told bdnews24.com: “According to the Representation of the People Order, we’ll now examine whether any change is needed in the code of conduct. That’s what we’ll test.”

He said the EC Secretariat would later issue the code of conduct notification aligned with the new RPO.

With all major legal reforms now complete, preparations for the February election are moving ahead. The commission is now focusing on operational matters -- dialogue with political parties, administrative and law enforcement coordination, and finalising appointments of returning officers, assistant returning officers, and polling officials.

“We’re taking all necessary preparations,” Masud said. “After discussing administrative reshuffles, law enforcement, and polling officials, final decisions will be made.

“The RPO will reach us soon -- no further legal reforms remain. We’re in full preparation mode for the parliamentary election before Ramadan in February.”

Earlier, on Sep 30, the EC revised election management rules related to electoral symbols. While the plan was to finalise the RPO by the same date, government approval came Thursday -- with only the code of conduct pending.