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The Election Commission has finalised the draft amendments to the Representation of the People Order, reinstating the provision of ‘no vote’ in the upcoming 13th national parliamentary election and removing the provision for using electronic voting machines. 

Key proposals for RPO amendment 
- EC to have power to cancel results of any constituency
- No candidate to be elected uncontested
- Re-election if two candidates get equal votes
- Candidature, election to be cancelled for affidavit fraud

The decisions came following an adjourned meeting on Monday where the commission finalised a series of reforms to the Representation of the People Order aimed at ensuring transparency and fairness in the electoral process.

Following the meeting, election commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah told reporters that the commission finalised the recommendation that the Election Commision would have the authority to cancel the election results across all the 300 constituencies, if necessary.

The meeting was held at the EC headquarters in Dhaka with chief election commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin in the chair and attended by all four election commissioners — Abdur Rahmanel Mashud, Tahmida Ahmad, Md Anwarul Islam Sarkar, and Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah — alongside EC secretary Akhtar Ahmed and other senior officials.

Commissioner Sanaullah revealed that the draft amendments to the RPO had been finalised, including several key changes which were expected to significantly impact the conduct of the upcoming elections.

One of the most notable reforms, he said, is the re-introduction of the ‘no vote’ provision, which means that only one candidate in any constituency can no longer be declared elected unopposed.

Instead, a candidate will have to face an election in which voters can cast a ‘no vote’ against them.

According to Sanaullah, this measure is intended to promote greater voter participation and legitimacy, even in uncontested constituencies.

The commission has abolished the previous rule that resolved tied elections by lottery, replacing the rule  with a re-election -- if two candidates receive equal number of votes, he also said.

Sanaullah said that the commission no longer considered lottery an appropriate method for selecting Members of Parliament.

An amendment has also expanded the definition of law enforcement agencies to explicitly include in the term the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Bangladesh Coast Guard.

This expansion is aimed to strengthen the commission’s capacity to enforce electoral laws, said

Sanaullah.

In line with its earlier decision, the commission removed all provisions related to the use of EVM from the RPO, confirming that the upcoming election would be conducted entirely in the traditional voting method.

According to an amendment, additional provisions more clearly define penalties for negligence by election officials. Investigations into such cases must be completed within three working days, with comprehensive feedbacks submitted to the commission.

These feedbacks will become part of the officials’ permanent records, ensuring accountability, said the commissioner.

To increase transparency, authorised election observers and journalists will be permitted access to polling centres.

The commissioner said that the election commission had enhanced rules on investigating false declarations in candidate affidavits, with investigations allowed to continue throughout an MP’s term.

If discrepancies are found, nominations may be cancelled and legal consequences imposed. However, these penalties will cease five years after the MP’s election, as per an ammendment.

Sanaullah said that media representatives would be allowed to observe vote counting but they must remain present throughout the entire process without leaving midway.

Regarding campaign practices, only digital billboards will be permitted to use lighting effects during the election campaign, with the previous bans on decorative lighting remaining in place, he further said.

The commissioner said that the commission had tightened regulations on candidate expenditure audits, choosing to focus audits only on expenses suspected of irregularities rather than auditing all expenditures indiscriminately.

Sanaullah stated that a reform imposed stricter financial transparency on political donations by fixing the maximum allowable donation at Tk 50 lakh from both individuals and institutions, with all such transactions required to be made through bank accounts and declared in tax returns.

He further explained that officials involved in election management, especially the police and the designated administrative personnel, must coordinate with the Election Commission from the announcement of the transfer schedule until 15 days after the election.

This coordination now explicitly includes relevant Deputy Inspector Generals of police, who had previously been omitted.

To combat misinformation, Sanaullah said, the RPO introduced provisions for taking action against candidates, political parties, and media organisations that spread false information or defamatory content through digital platforms, including with the help of artificial intelligence tools.

He mentioned that newly registered political parties would be allowed up to 30 additional days to submit their constitutions, although a proposed extension up to 90 days was rejected due to concerns over election delays.

Sanaullah said that if a party’s registration application was rejected, the Election Commission would now provide detailed reasons within 15 days, improving transparency and reducing legal ambiguities that had previously led to challenges in the court.

Regarding party registration, he said, the commission received 143 applications by the June 22 deadline.

While none of the applicant parties initially had a complete documentation, 84 parties had corrected their deficiencies within the allotted 15 days.

Of these, 22 parties were primarily accepted pending field verification while 121 were deemed ineligible and would be notified with reasons within 15 days.

The commissioner said that the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies was going on, with 82 objections filed by the deadline.

The commission will now conduct hearings to resolve the objections.

Sanaullah said that election preparations were under way and the commission had instructed the relevant committees and the secretariat to draft an updated action plan by August 18 to reflect current circumstances.

Finally, he mentioned that a new code of conduct clause had been introduced to mandate respect towards women by political parties and candidates, with measures in place to enforce compliance.