Bangladesh Nationalist Party has expressed strong opposition to a proposed amendment to the Representation of the People Order, which, seeks to change the rules for alliance elections by requiring candidates to contest using their own party鈥檚 symbol rather than a common alliance symbol.
At a discussion organised by the Bangladesh Nationalist Tax Lawyers鈥� Forum on the occasion of the 47th founding anniversary of the BNP at the Engineers鈥� Institution in Dhaka, BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on Sunday described the proposed amendment to sub-section one of section 21 of the RPO, which deals with political party symbols, as illogical.
The Election Commission finalised a set of amendments to the Representation of the People Order, including a provision on party symbols, and sent the draft to the law ministry for vetting on Tuesday.
He argued that smaller parties usually join alliances with larger parties to improve their chances of winning a few seats. But if the law force them to contest under their own symbols it might discourage them from forming alliances altogether.
The BNP leader said that the proposal was made without consultation with political parties and that no consensus had been reached among political groups.
He cautioned that introducing such a reform without discussion could create unnecessary complications during elections.
Salahuddin said that while minor amendments to ordinances could be made without much dialogue, major reforms should involve consultation with all political parties to prevent obstacles in conducting elections.
Salahuddin said that the current RPO allows parties to choose their symbols freely, which protects their independence and should be maintained.
