The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Sunday sent a letter to the Election Commission objecting to the government-approved amendment to聽 Article 20 of the Representation of the People Order.
The BNP in its letter urged the commission to retain the earlier provision that allowed the alliance partners to contest elections using a common symbol of their choice.
The objection came after the interim government on Thursday gave final approval to the draft of the RPO amendment ordinance, requiring that any candidate nominated by an electoral alliance must contest using their respective party symbol instead of a common one.
In the letter, the BNP said that the right to choose a preferred electoral symbol 鈥攚hether of an individual party or of the alliance 鈥� was a fundamental democratic right that should not be restricted.
The party said that the long-standing practice of alliance partners to run for an MP seat under a common symbol had supported inclusive political participation and should therefore remain unchanged.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin at the EC office in Agargaon, the BNP chair鈥檚 advisory council member Ismail Zabiullah said that the party had strongly requested the EC to preserve the earlier provision of Article 20.
鈥榃hen political parties have the right to form alliances and contest elections jointly, they must also have the democratic right to choose whether to use their own symbol or that of the alliance,鈥� he said.
Zabiullah said that a similar letter would also be sent to the law adviser, hoping that the government would show good sense and refrain from amending the clause.
He said that the change in the RPO 鈥� which would require each alliance member to contest using its own party symbol 鈥� would discourage smaller parties from forming alliances and weaken the tradition of coalition politics.
Zabiullah said that during earlier consultations on electoral reform, the BNP made clear its opposition to the amendment.
鈥榃e have explicitly stated that we don鈥檛 support changes to Article 20 of the RPO. The proposed amendment is unacceptable to us,鈥� he said.
Zabiullah criticised the EC for considering such a major decision without holding formal consultations with political parties, saying that taking such a step without prior dialogue with key political stakeholders was neither desirable nor acceptable.
