Bangladeshi Civil, Military Bureaucrats to Be Barred from Contesting PollsWhile retired bureaucrats and military officers of the country are joining political parties to contest in the upcoming parliamentary polls, the Election Commission (EC) plans to put a bar on their candidature within two years of retirement.This provision, along with some other amendments to electoral laws, is likely to come into effect through a Presidential Ordinance during the tenure of the caretaker government, EC sources told Xinhua Monday. They argued that bureaucrats who retired recently had the opportunity to spend public money in the name of development work in their respective areas when they held offices. Such expenditures may influence the electorate if the bureaucrats contest immediately after their retirement. Terming the proposed bar timely, bureaucrat-turned Chief Election Commissioner M A Syed said it is not unusual for a bureaucrat to undertake development work in his area while in office. "Public money cannot be spent to serve one's own interest," he spoke on various measures the EC was going to take before the upcoming general election. Many bureaucrats who retired less than two years ago recently joined the major political parties including ruling Awami League and the main opposition the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. As the major political parties are yet to give their opinions on proposals for amending electoral laws, the EC contemplates those through an ordinance during the tenure of the caretaker government, EC sources said. The commission has also proposed to impose a ban on a candidate contesting from five constituencies. It has proposed to allow a candidate to contest from three seats at a time, but all the major political parties favored keeping the existing provision open. M A Syed has said it is unfortunate that a poor country like Bangladesh has to spend a huge amount of money for an electoral law that allows a person to contest election from five seats at a time. |
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