EC disregards Jamaat demand barring AL leaders from local polls

The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday finalised its recommendations for amending local government election laws without accepting Jamaat-e-Islami's proposal to bar leaders of the banned Awami League from contesting non-partisan local elections.

The decision came at a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin at the Election Building in Agargaon.

The commission recommended disqualifying several categories of candidates, including MPO-listed teachers, dual citizens, guarantors of defaulted loans, defaulters of electricity, gas, water and land tax bills, and holders of profitable government posts.

EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said administrators serving in city corporations must resign before contesting elections. He added that individuals charge-sheeted by the International Crimes Tribunal would also be barred from running.

The commission also approved in principle a proposal to include the armed forces in the definition of law enforcement agencies under all five local government election laws�"covering city corporations, municipalities, zila parishads, upazila parishads and union parishads. The move would allow the army to be deployed in local elections without separate government orders and empower personnel with police-like authority, including arrest without warrant.

The recommendations will be sent to the Local Government Division for consideration. Any legal changes will require cabinet approval and passage in parliament.

Jamaat submitted seven amendment proposals and two special recommendations to the EC on June 30 in response to the commission's June 10 request for political parties' views on revising local election rules.

Election analyst and former Election System Reform Commission member Abdul Alim said candidate eligibility is determined by law, not by election conduct rules, as local government polls are non-partisan.