The Election Commission has proposed tougher rules in its draft code of conduct for upcoming local government elections, introducing provisions to disqualify candidates for serious breaches, shorten campaign duration, regulate social media activity, and restrict the use of sound systems.
Separate draft codes for the five tiers of local bodies -- union parishads, upazila parishads, municipalities, zila parishads and city corporations -- have been uploaded to the EC website and emailed to 56 registered political parties for feedback by June 30.
Feedback on the draft will be reviewed, with final codes expected within first week of July, according to the commission.
The code of conduct for local bodies was last amended in 2016, and local polls since then have been held under those rules.
The EC has been vocal in recent months about its intent to hold local government elections in a credible and orderly manner, and consultation on the code of conduct marks a formal step in that process.
Speaking to The Daily Star, EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told The Daily Star the commission is in the final stages of preparations. “We have the list of voters, polling centres, and candidates. Election materials are ready,” he said, adding that training of polling staff and other polls-related activities will be completed within 30 days of the schedule announcement.
On June 4, EC Abdur Rahmanel Masud told The Daily Star that elections to local government bodies are expected to begin with union parishad polls in October, with the schedule likely to be announced in August.
Under the latest draft, candidates or their agents violating the code may result in the immediate disqualification of candidacy through a written order.
For union parishad elections, the penalty for violating the code was previously six months’ imprisonment and a fine of Tk 10,000. The new draft retains the prison term but raises the fine to Tk 50,000. For other tiers, the punishment remains six months’ imprisonment and a Tk 50,000 fine.
The drafts largely mirror each other, with 33 common provisions.
The upazila parishad draft adds a clause barring chairmen, vice‑chairmen and members from using the upazila office and official vehicles for electioneering and poll-related activities between nomination submission and polling day.
Campaign hours have been shifted from 2:00pm–8:00pm to noon–sunset.
Posters remain banned, as in the 13th national election. Postal ballots allowed in national polls have been excluded from local polls. Leaflets, handbills, festoons and banners are permitted only if made from biodegradable materials.
Billboards, previously banned, will now be allowed in limited numbers: one per ward in union parishad, municipality and city corporation polls; one per union or ward in municipal areas for upazila polls, capped at 20 per constituency; and one per thana or upazila in zila parishad polls.
Digital caravans or mobile vehicles decorated with biodegradable materials may campaign between noon and sunset, provided they do not obstruct traffic.
Sound systems are restricted to one microphone per ward, with use limited to noon–sunset and capped at 60 decibels.
Candidates must register social media platforms, account IDs and emails with returning officers before campaigning online. AI‑generated hate speech, misinformation, distorted images or fabricated content are prohibited.
