EC reform plan seeks more power

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Saturday, 04 February 2012

Author / Source : bdnews24.com

Dhaka, Feb 3:The outgoing Election Commission has asked for control of four major ministries and divisions crucial during elections in proposing 32 amendments to the Representation of People Order. The other major changes to the RPO – a set of electoral laws – include legal scope of using electronic voting machines.
Commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hossain on Friday said the proposals were based on the EC's dialogues with the political parties.
Besides this proposal, the EC also sent in Delimitation Act and Rules and CEC and EC Recruitment Rules.
He added that a proposal for state funding of electoral campaigns was not put through because political consensus could not be reached on the issue.
EC deputy secretary Subhash Chandra Sarker said the proposals had been dispatched from the EC and they will reach the law ministry on Monday.
The proposal suggests that the article 26 of the RPO should be amended in a manner so that there is legal scope for using electronic voting machines side by side with ballots.
“The  giving and recording of votes by voting machines in such manner as may be prescribed, may be adopted in such constituency or constituencies as the Commission may…specify," the proposal says.
In the explanation for this amendment, the proposal says, 'voting machine means any machine or apparatus whether operated electronically or otherwise used for giving or recording of votes'.
The EC consulted political parties on using EVMs at the next national polls. Most of the parties have assented to the idea, although main opposition BNP and likeminded parties have been opposing from the start.
Another major amendment suggested by the EC is that the government shall not take any decision relating to holding of parliamentary elections without prior consultation with the commission from the date the parliament is dissolved.
The proposal particularly mentions four crucial ministries, cabinet division, home ministry, public administration ministry and local government ministry, whose actions regarding election must be consulted with the EC first.     bdnews24.com