The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has announced its strong objection to a recent amendment to the nation’s electoral law, the Representation of the People Order (RPO), specifically the provision that prevents political alliance partners from contesting elections under a common symbol. The party stated today that it would formally communicate its disapproval by sending a letter to the Election Commission (EC).
The announcement was made by BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed, who spoke to reporters at his residence in Gulshan on Friday.
The Core of BNP’s Objection
Salahuddin Ahmed focused his criticism on the newly approved RPO, which essentially mandates that candidates must use their respective party symbols even if they are part of a political alliance. This effectively overrules the previous system where alliance partners, particularly smaller parties, could use the symbol of the dominant party (like BNP’s Dhaner Sheesh or ‘Sheaf of Paddy’) to leverage voter familiarity and promote alliance unity.
Contextualising the Issue:
- What is the RPO? The Representation of the People Order (RPO), 1972, is the fundamental law governing the conduct of elections in Bangladesh. Recent amendments have been initiated by the current interim government and the Election Commission ahead of the upcoming general election.
- The Contentious Clause: The amendment effectively scraps the provision under the original RPO’s Sub-Section 20/1 (as referenced by Salahuddin Ahmed) that allowed candidates from allied parties to contest using a single, unified symbol.
- BNP’s Concern: Salahuddin Ahmed stated that while the BNP had agreed to several other RPO amendments, they were “assured” of the continuation of the alliance symbol provision. He argued that the new law, passed “unilaterally,” will “discourage small parties from joining alliances” and will prevent prominent leaders from these smaller parties from getting a fair opportunity, ultimately threatening the spirit of a multi-party system.
- The Demand: Highlighting the party’s desire for a diverse and rich parliament, the BNP leader called for a reconsideration of the RPO in the interest of holding a fair election and confirmed the party’s intent to formally protest the newly passed law.
Previous Context and Party Stance
The debate over the alliance symbol has been ongoing since the Election Commission first proposed the RPO amendments. The EC and some analysts reportedly see this change as a necessary step to ensure that “name-only parties” cannot benefit from a major party’s symbol, thereby promoting stronger party identity. However, the recent decision by the interim government’s Advisory Council to approve the RPO draft, solidifying the provision for mandatory self-party symbols, has triggered this formal opposition from the BNP.
Separately, Salahuddin Ahmed also informed the press that the BNP is preparing for the election and plans to give the “green signal” to approximately 200 of its candidates sometime this month.
