A legal notice has been served to the government demanding that the upcoming national parliamentary election be held under the Proportional Representation (PR) system.
The notice was sent on Sunday by Supreme Court lawyer Md. Mahmudul Hasan. Copies were addressed to the Ministry of Law, Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Election Commission via registered post and email.
The notice calls for immediate constitutional amendments and the enactment of new laws to facilitate the PR-based election scheduled for February 2026. It also urges the Election Commission to issue necessary directives and regulations to allow political parties sufficient time to prepare.
It warns that if effective steps are not taken within 15 working days, a public-interest writ petition will be filed.
The notice criticizes the current electoral system, stating that it does not accurately reflect the popular vote. In many cases, candidates with a relatively small number of votes are elected as members of parliament, while those with significant voter support fail to secure representation.
This, the notice argues, undermines the value of citizens’ votes and prevents the parliament from truly reflecting public opinion.
The notice highlights that PR systems have been successfully implemented in many advanced democracies, including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and South Africa.
