Dhaka, Sep 03 (V7N) – Election Commissioner (EC) Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah announced the decision to remove the provision for online nomination submission from the Representation of the People Order (RPO). Speaking to reporters on Wednesday (September 3), he stated that this change is part of an amendment to the RPO.

EC Sanaullah also confirmed the restoration of a previous provision, where the presiding officer's decision to start voting is final, without requiring a report from law enforcement agencies first. The presiding officer has also been given the power to decide how long journalists and others can remain inside the polling booth. A candidate's spending limit has been set at a maximum of Tk 10 per voter, with the total expenditure not exceeding Tk 2.5 million.

In related news, the Election Commission has forwarded a set of amendments to the Law Ministry for vetting to finalize the RPO 1972 (Amendment) Ordinance-2025. These amendments include the authority for the EC to overrule government disagreements, placing the administration and police under the EC 45 days before the schedule, and the ability for the EC to provide confidential reports and punishment for government officials who do not follow instructions.

Other proposed amendments include: re-voting without a lottery system if two candidates receive the same number of votes, increasing the candidate's deposit to Tk 50,000, allowing journalists to be present during vote counting, and the formation of an election expenditure monitoring committee. The amendments also propose the publication of a party's election income and expenditure on their website, the settlement of cases before symbol allocation, and taking action even after voting if false information is given in an affidavit or false allegations are filed.

END/SMA/AJ