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Representation of the People Order, 1972

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

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Representation of People Order was passed on 26 December 1972 and repealed Legal Framework Order and the National and Provincial Assemblies (Election) Ordinance of 1970.[1] The law governs the election of members of parliament in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

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Representation of the People Order, 1972 - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  2. ^ "The Representation of the People Order, 1972 (RPO) is the core electoral legal framework of Bangladesh". archive.thedailystar.net. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  3. ^ "Law and Our Rights". archive.thedailystar.net. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  4. ^ "The Representation of the People Order, 1972 (President's Order)". Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  5. ^ "80 parties apply for EC registration". The Business Standard. 2022-10-30. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  6. ^ Alamgir, Mohiuddin (2022-08-13). "Nothing can happen unless the govt wants". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  7. ^ a b Unb, Dhaka (2018-11-01). "President promulgates RPO change ordinance". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  8. ^ a b Report, Star Online (2020-09-02). "Bid to amend RPO 1972: EC has hit final nail in its coffin, speakers say". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  9. ^ "EC Mahbub now opposes separate law for party reg". The Daily Star. 2020-08-27. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  10. ^ "EC's proposal to amend electoral law incomplete: Shujan". The Business Standard. 2022-08-20. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  11. ^ Report, Star Online (2020-08-26). "Mahbub Talukder issues 'note of dissent' over enacting law on parties' registration". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-11-26.