The electoral reform commission has proposed that the Election Commission hold a re-election if 40 per cent of the votes in a constituency is not cast.
It also proposed setting 16 years as the minimum age for NID eligibility, stricter eligibility criteria for party membership and leadership, disqualifying individuals convicted under the International Crimes Tribunal Act or accused of severe human rights violations.
It also proposed full authority for the EC to recruit its officials, and postpone and cancel any elections or decide on any re-elections.
Making the executive branch of the government accountable to the EC during elections has also been proposed in a report which was handed over to interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus at its office in Dhaka on Wednesday.
The electoral reform commission chief, Badiul Alam Majumder, along with other members, submitted the report with recommendations.
鈥極ur proposals are mostly related to ensuring citizen鈥檚 voting rights, transparency in the electoral system and making all stakeholders accountable for holding inclusive elections,鈥� Badiul said at the report handover ceremony.
The commission recommended forming a special investigation commission to identify those who were responsible for the rigged national elections held in 2018.
The other recommendations included a proposal to ease requirements for new party registration by mandating offices in 10 per cent of districts and five per cent of upazilas, along with a minimum of 5,000 members.
The reform commission suggested publishing and annually updating party member lists online to ensure transparency.
The reform commission also proposed cancelling provisions for electronic voting machines, secret ballots in electing party committees at all levels and nominating parliamentary candidates through a panel system voted on by general members.
To increase financial accountability, the report recommended capping individual donations at Tk聽50 lakh and requiring all donations be made via banks and declared in tax returns. Party funds would be subject to regular audits to promote transparency.
The other key recommendations included prohibiting political parties from having student, labour and other professional fronts, international branches and requiring members to serve for at least three years before being eligible for parliamentary nomination.
Additionally, party registrations must be renewed every five years, and the rule for cancelling registration for not participating in two consecutive elections should be repealed.
At a press conference on the report handover ceremony on Wednesday, law ministry adviser Asif Nazrul said that national elections could be held at the end of this year if political parties agreed to a minimal state reform, while a full-scale reform would allow the elections by mid-2026.
