The Election Commission (EC) today decided to propose expanding the disqualification criteria for candidates in local government elections by making loan guarantors who become defaulters, bill defaulters, MPO-listed teachers, dual citizens and holders of profitable posts ineligible to contest. The commission also decided to recommend incorporating the role of law enforcement agencies in the laws governing all five tiers of local government elections. EC Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhter Ahmed disclosed the decisions while briefing journalists after a commission meeting at the Election Commission headquarters in Agargaon today. He said the EC would send its recommendations to the Local Government Division for necessary amendments to the relevant laws.
Revised Disqualification Criteria
The proposed ineligibility criteria would cover individuals who default on payments for electricity, gas, water, land tax and dues owed to government agencies or other service-providing organizations. If an organization owned or headed by a prospective candidate has outstanding dues, that too would constitute grounds for disqualification. The commission further decided to recommend barring dual citizens and individuals holding profitable posts from contesting local government elections.
Role of Law Enforcement
Akhter Ahmed said the commission reviewed the election laws governing the five local government tiers—city corporations, municipalities, district councils, upazila parishads and union parishads—to identify provisions requiring revision. He said the EC found that the role of law enforcement agencies is not consistently reflected across the existing laws and therefore agreed in principle to recommend its inclusion in all relevant legislation. The EC also proposed that MPO-listed teachers be barred from contesting local government elections.
