EC to separate symbols for nat'l, local govt polls
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
The Election Commission (EC) for the first time has started work on separating symbols for the national and local government elections, an EC official said, reports BSS.
Presently, the EC allocates symbols among the candidates of both national and local government elections from a total of 140 symbols and it has given the cross sign to the status of symbol so voters can exercise 'no votes'.
With this cross sign, the total symbols now stands at 141.
The EC contemplates that the cross sign now need not be kept as option of 'no vote' has been scrapped in the Representation of People's Order (RPO), which was passed in the Jatiya Sangsad.
The EC will allocate 40 symbols for local government elections and the rest of the symbols for the national elections.
The Commission discussed the matter at a recent meeting in the city to finalise the code of conduct for the upcoming city corporation elections, a senior assistant secretary of the Election Commission told the news agency Tuesday.
Chief Election Commissioner and two other commissioners have agreed to the decision, he said.
The draft on the code of conduct for the city corporation election is now at the final stage, he added.
He termed the move as a first move in the election history of Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the EC has decided to take stern action against the quarters who helped and encouraged the Rohingas to be enlisted as voters.
"The Commission will take lawful action against the quarters who helped the foreign nationals including the Rohingas to be enlisted as voters," Election Commissioner M Sakhawat Hossain told the journalists at the EC Secretariat.
He said that the EC could take two types of legal actions against the quarters. First, the EC could file case against the persons who helped the Ronhingas to be enlisted as voters; secondly, the EC could take action against the enlisted persons under Voter Registration Act, Mr Sakhawat added.
Presently, the EC allocates symbols among the candidates of both national and local government elections from a total of 140 symbols and it has given the cross sign to the status of symbol so voters can exercise 'no votes'.
With this cross sign, the total symbols now stands at 141.
The EC contemplates that the cross sign now need not be kept as option of 'no vote' has been scrapped in the Representation of People's Order (RPO), which was passed in the Jatiya Sangsad.
The EC will allocate 40 symbols for local government elections and the rest of the symbols for the national elections.
The Commission discussed the matter at a recent meeting in the city to finalise the code of conduct for the upcoming city corporation elections, a senior assistant secretary of the Election Commission told the news agency Tuesday.
Chief Election Commissioner and two other commissioners have agreed to the decision, he said.
The draft on the code of conduct for the city corporation election is now at the final stage, he added.
He termed the move as a first move in the election history of Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the EC has decided to take stern action against the quarters who helped and encouraged the Rohingas to be enlisted as voters.
"The Commission will take lawful action against the quarters who helped the foreign nationals including the Rohingas to be enlisted as voters," Election Commissioner M Sakhawat Hossain told the journalists at the EC Secretariat.
He said that the EC could take two types of legal actions against the quarters. First, the EC could file case against the persons who helped the Ronhingas to be enlisted as voters; secondly, the EC could take action against the enlisted persons under Voter Registration Act, Mr Sakhawat added.