The Electoral Reforms Commission proposed a rerun of the elections if the national or local government does not obtain 40 percent of the votes in any election. The committee also made a number of recommendations to the government. The proposal also stated that the interim government would undertake the reform process after discussing the recommendations of the reform committee with the parties.
On Wednesday (January 15), the committee submitted a nine-page recommendation on reforming the entire electoral system to the chief adviser.
Election system:
(a) Repeal the provision for the use of electronic voting devices in elections.
(b) Include the Department of Defense in law enforcement agencies’ definition of election periods.
(c) Re-election if 40% of the total voters in any electoral district did not vote.
(d) Halt uncontested elections and introduce “no-vote” provisions in national elections to ensure that political parties field candidates who are fair, qualified and acceptable to voters. Canceling the elections if the winner does not win the right to vote, and stipulating that in the event of re-election, no candidate from the annulled elections can run in the new elections.
Fair and impartial parliamentary elections:
(a) Preventing those who default on loan bills from running for office.
(b) Preventing persons declared by any court to be fugitives from running for office.
(c) Eliminate the RPO requirement of three years of retirement prior to the position of executive officers of NGOs as candidates.
(d) Deprive any person convicted in court of a crime against moral turpitude under Article 66 (2) (d) of the Constitution from the beginning of his conviction from running for parliamentary elections.
(e) Preventing persons convicted under the ICT (International Crimes Tribunal) Act from running in parliamentary elections from the date of their conviction.
(f) Serious human rights violations (extrajudicial killings, disappearances, inhuman torture, attacks on journalists/human rights activists, etc.), serious corruption, and money laundering, if indicted by the Disappearances Commission or Anti-Corruption Commission or ICC Court under Article 66 (2) (g) of the Constitution disqualifying a Member of Parliament by passing a special law under Art. (The eligibility criteria for membership of Parliament should be higher and special measures should be taken in relation to crimes of gross human rights violations. “Transitional justice” arguments could also be raised in this case.)
(g) Depriving elected representatives of local government institutions from running for membership in Parliament without resigning.
(h) Providing 10 per cent candidacy opportunities for youth, religious and ethnic minorities and persons with physical disabilities.
(j) Provide the approval of 500 voters instead of the requirement to submit signatures of 1% of voters in the case of individual candidates and provide a declaration of voter approval through an individual or joint declaration in that case.
(j) Repeal the provision requiring any person to run for more than one seat.
(k) Take initiatives to support Section 125(c) in the appellate process in the context of the repeal of the Fifteenth Amendment by the Supreme Court Division. No court shall, in relation to any election for which the election schedule has been announced, make any order or direction, provisional or otherwise, without giving reasonable notice and an opportunity of being heard to the Election Commission.
(l) Provide for the disqualification of an elected person from the next election if the court vacates the election of an elected person due to the provision of false information in the affidavit or concealment of information.
Filter paper:
(a) Require all candidates to submit their nomination papers in person, except those legally detained within Bangladesh.
(b) Extending the period for selecting nomination papers in the election schedule, to allow sufficient time to verify statements and decide on appeals. On the other hand, reducing the time of the electoral campaign, thus saving electoral expenses for the candidates.
(c) Exempting the Elections Commission from its powers to complete nominations. For this purpose, court intervention should be limited only in cases of “lack of a quorum” and “error of law”.
(d) Provide for the submission of copies of 5-year income tax returns along with nomination papers.
(e) Extending the period for selecting nomination papers in the election schedule, so that there is sufficient time to verify statements and decide on appeals. On the other hand, reducing the time of the electoral campaign, thus saving electoral expenses for the candidates.
2.3 Benefit:
(a) Provide for the submission of an affidavit by the party president, secretary-general or any person holding a similar position in lieu of a certificate for its nominees in addition to the nomination paper by the nominee, stating also the name of the nominee nominated as a fact that the nomination has not been circulated and that the nominee has been nominated by the party committee .
(b) At any time before the next election, the Election Commission shall audit the certificate of the elected person and revoke his election if false or confidential information is found.
Election expenses:
(a) Make arrangements to fix election expenses at Rs 10 per voter per parliamentary seat.
(b) Conduct all electoral expenses through banking systems or financial technologies (e.g., BKash, Rocket).
(c) Electoral spending at the constituency level is closely monitored by the Election Commission.
(d) Auditing the returns of electoral expenditure accounts for candidates and parties and imposing penalties for discrepancies in the accounts.
2.6 Electoral Grievances Management:
(a) Form a full-fledged judicial entity/body called the “Investigation and Judicial Committee” by granting investigative and adjudicatory powers to the existing “Elections Investigation Committee.”
(b) Appointment of first-class judicial judges within the Electoral Investigation Committee and the Judicial Committee. In light of this, enabling the aforementioned committee to consider the crimes required to be tried under Article 190 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and to try the crimes through a summary trial.
(c) Formation of a high-level “Election Investigation and Judicial Proceedings Monitoring Committee” headed by the Election Commissioner within the Election Commission to supervise the activities of the Election Investigation Committees and Judicial Committees during the parliamentary elections. to do
(d) In order to achieve transparency and accountability in operations, investigation committees and judicial committees are administratively referred to the Electoral Investigation and Judicial Proceedings Monitoring Committee. And make them independent in making judicial decisions.
(e) Reducing the pressure of electoral cases in the Supreme Court Division and establishing a “Parliamentary Election Tribunal” at the provincial level in order to expeditiously dispose of cases relating to electoral disputes only (electoral petitions) and to preserve the opportunity of appeal to the House of Representatives. Supreme Court against the court’s ruling.