MPs cannot join local election campaign in own constituencies: CEC

The Election Commission has budged a bit from its decision to let the MPs join campaign of party candidates in city corporation elections.

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda says they are still reviewing the proposal.

He told a news conference on Tuesday they were bringing changes to local government election codes of conduct so that MPs can join the campaign in polls to all local government bodies but not in their own constituencies.

The EC arranged the media call after announcing the schedule for elections to Rajshahi, Barishal and Sylhet cities with balloting to be held on July 30. 

The EC had cleared the proposed amendment to ‘Local Government (City Corporation) Code of Conduct-2016’ to ‘give everyone equal opportunity to all in campaign’.

Some election observers and former election commissioners criticised the move, saying it would rather hamper ‘equal opportunity for all’ as the MPs can influence the local administrations.

Later, it came out that Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar gave a ‘note of dissent’ on the proposal, but the others scrapped it.

The ruling Awami League demanded the amendment, arguing that its MPs cannot join campaign of party candidates in local government polls while BNP leaders can do so as the party sits out of parliament.

Currently, the codes of conduct for local government elections bar VIPs enjoying government facilities, like the speaker of parliament, prime minister, leader of the opposition, ministers, and MPs, from joining local government polls campaign.

The EC has dropped the words ‘members of parliament’ from the code of conduct for city corporation election in the proposed amendment.

It argues that the post of MP is not a profitable one of the republic, so it should not be on the list of VIPs enjoying government facilities.

After the commission cleared the amendment, EC Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed said all MPs would be able to take part in city poll campaigns. 

CEC Huda on Tuesday said, “MPs exert influence in their areas which is why they have been kept out of campaign in their localities.

“But they can cast their vote. There will be no bar on MPs from other areas to joining campaigns as well,” he added.