The Advisory council on Thursday approved proposals to amend the Election Commission Secretariat Act, 2009, and the Election Officers (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, to ensure free, fair and impartial elections.
Proposals to amend several revenue-related laws under the National Board of Revenue (NBR) were also approved by the Advisory Council.
The approvals came at a meeting of the Advisory Council held at the Chief Adviser鈥檚 Office (CAO) in the city鈥檚 Tejgaon area with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus in the chair.
After the meeting, chief adviser鈥檚 press secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed reporters at the Foreign Service Academy in the city this afternoon.
鈥楾he Advisory Council today approved proposals to amend two Election Commission related laws - the Election Officers (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 (Act No. 13 of 1991) and the Election Commission Secretariat Act 2009 (Act No. 5 of 2009),鈥� he said.
The press secretary said the amendments to the two laws will make the Election Commission鈥檚 activities more dynamic and ensure accountability of the officials engaged in election management.
鈥業n particular, the provisions of punishment for negligence of duty during elections will now be clearer,鈥� he added.
Shafiqul Alam said, through the amendments, significant changes have been brought to sections 2, 5, and 6 of the Election Officers (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. These include redefining the term 鈥榚lection officer,鈥� updating provisions related to disciplinary action, and adding new sub-sections, he added.
