No Party Symbols in Local Government Elections: Ordinance Issued

From now on, local government elections in Bangladesh will no longer be conducted with party symbols. To implement this change, the provisions related to the allocation of electoral symbols have been annulled through a new ordinance issued by the interim government.

On Monday, 18 August, the ordinance was promulgated by amending the laws governing Union Parishads, Upazila Parishads, Municipalities, and City Corporations. As a result, there will be no legal scope for political parties to nominate candidates with official party symbols in future local government elections.

Legislative Process

Historical Context

• In 2015, during the tenure of the Awami League government, the laws were amended to allow elections to cities, municipalities, upazilas, and union parishads under party symbols.
• Now, that law has been revised again, paving the way for non-partisan elections.

Recommendations Behind the Reform

The move to abolish party symbols in local elections was based on recommendations from:

• The Election System Reform Commission
• The Local Government Reform Commission

Both commissions had earlier advised that removing party symbols would ensure a more impartial and competitive electoral environment in local governance.