The Representation of People Order, 1972 (Bengali: গণপ্রতিনিধিত্ব আদেশ, ১৯৭২) is a set of laws governing how members of parliament are elected, the role of the Election Commission, and registration of Bangladeshi political parties.[1][2][3]
History
Representation of People Order was passed on 26 December 1972 and repealed Legal Framework Order and the National and Provincial Assemblies (Election) Ordinance of 1970.[1] The law governs the election of members of parliament in Bangladesh and the registration of political parties with the Election Commission.[1] Political parties must meet three conditions under the ordinance to register with the Election Commission.[4][5] It tasks the Election Commission with providing returning officers for each parliamentary constituency during elections.[6]
The Order was amended in August 2008 through the Representative of People Order (Amendment) Ordinance which was passed in the parliament in 2009.[1]
In 2018, the Order was further amended through the Representation of the People Order (amendment) Order, 2018 which allowed the use of electronic voting machines in elections.[7] The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved 38.25 billion taka for the purchase of electronic voting machines.[7]
In 2020, the Election Commission tried to reduce their own power through a proposed amendment to the Order and creating a separate Registration of Political Parties Act, 2020.[8][9][10] Ali Imam Majumder, Shahdeen Malik, Badiul Alam Majumder, M Hafizuddin Khan, and other political commentators criticised the move.[8] Mahbub Talukder, election commissioner, sent a dissent note on the proposal.[11]
See also
References
