The Election Commission (EC) has proposed an amendment to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) to disqualify individuals declared fugitives by a court from contesting parliamentary elections.
Election Commissioner Abul Fazl Md. Sanaullah disclosed the proposal to reporters on Wednesday afternoon, noting that several other amendments related to national elections have also been recommended.
According to officials, the proposals were sent to the Ministry of Law on Tuesday. After review, the ministry will place them before the Advisory Council of the interim government. If approved, the amendments will be enacted through a presidential ordinance.
The idea of barring fugitives from elections was initially recommended by the Electoral Reform Commission. At that time, however, the EC had opposed it, arguing that such a provision could be misused without political consensus.
When asked why the EC has now adopted the proposal, Commissioner Sanaullah explained that the Commission had held discussions with the National Consensus Mission and was convinced of its merit. “We believe including such a provision will be beneficial. If misuse occurs in the future, further amendments can be considered,” he said.
Notably, a separate recommendation from the Reform Commission — to disqualify individuals accused by the International Crimes Tribunal — was not included in the EC’s latest proposal.
