Staff Reporter :
The Advisory Council of the interim government, chaired by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, has approved the draft amendment to the Representation of the People Order (RPO), introducing significant reforms to electoral procedures and election security management.
The approval came during a meeting held on Thursday at the Chief Adviser’s Office in Dhaka.
Under the proposed amendment, political parties forming electoral alliances will no longer be able to contest under a single alliance symbol.
Instead, each candidate will be required to run in the national election using their respective party’s official symbol, a move officials say is aimed at ensuring greater transparency and accountability in the electoral process.
The draft amendment also expands the definition of “law enforcement agencies” to include members of the armed forces — namely the army, navy, and air force.
As a result, military personnel will be empowered to perform duties at polling stations alongside the police without requiring any separate executive order authorising their deployment.
According to officials, this change is designed to enhance coordination among security agencies and strengthen law and order management during the election period.
At a press briefing held at the Foreign Service Academy on Thursday afternoon, Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul outlined several key provisions of the amendment. He said that under the revised RPO, fugitive individuals will no longer be eligible to contest elections.
Additionally, in any constituency where only one candidate is running, voters will now have the right to cast a “No Vote.” If the number of “No Votes” exceeds the votes for the lone candidate, a re-election will be held in that constituency.
Dr Nazrul also stated that the amended law empowers the Election Commission to cancel elections in any constituency if credible evidence of corruption or serious irregularities is found.
“This provision gives the Commission a stronger mandate to ensure the integrity of the electoral process,” he said.
He added that the Council of Advisers also gave in-principle approval to a proposal declaring the July Uprising Memorial Museum at Ganabhaban as an “independent museum.” The final decision will be made soon through the passage of a separate law.
Following the meeting, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam informed reporters that the Council also discussed establishing a new diplomatic mission of Bangladesh in Michigan, United States.
In addition, the meeting reviewed proposed changes to the regulations concerning land leased under the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), aimed at preventing harassment of landowners.
The amendment seeks to remove the requirement for repeated approvals from RAJUK for subsequent construction or modification work on leased plots.
Alongside the RPO amendment, the Advisory Council also approved the draft of the Labour (Amendment) Act, 2025 — marking a day of major legislative activity under the interim administration’s ongoing reform agenda.
