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Published : 18 Jul 2026, 10:26 PM
Jamaat-e-Islami has proposed to the Election Commission (EC) that leaders of the Awami League, whose political activities remain banned, be barred from taking part in non-partisan local government elections.
The main opposition party in parliament recommended integrating this restriction into the proposed electoral code of conduct for local government polls.
According to the proposal, office bearers and active leaders of political parties whose activities have been banned by the government should be declared ineligible for city corporations, municipalities, and district, Upazila, and Union council elections.
The EC sought opinions from political parties on Jun 10 as part of its process to update the election conduct rules for local government elections.
In response, Jamaat submitted its recommendations on Jun 30 in a document signed by Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar.
The party requested the EC to consider seven amendments alongside two special proposals.
Speaking to bdnews24.com on Saturday evening, Porwar said the party had submitted its views in response to the EC's request.
"The Election Commission sought opinions from all political parties regarding the local government election rules. We submitted our recommendations accordingly," he said.
Specifically about the proposal concerning Awami League leaders, Porwar argued that the government's decision to ban a political party's activities should automatically extend to elections.
"The government has banned the Awami League's activities under the law. Elections are also a political activity. Therefore, as long as a party’s activities remain banned, its leaders should not be eligible to contest elections," he said.
Election analyst Abdul Alim, a former member of the Electoral Reform Commission, said Jamaat's proposal addressed an issue that does not fall within the scope of an election code of conduct.
"The question of whether a person is eligible or ineligible to contest an election is determined by law, not by the code of conduct. Besides, these are non-partisan local government elections, where there are no party symbols. Anyone who meets the legal criteria is eligible to contest," he said.
Alim added that the ban on the Awami League's political activities, in itself, does not create any legal basis to disqualify candidates from contesting non-partisan local government elections.
