EC plans dialogue with parties

The Election Commission (EC) will initiate steps for further amendments to the Representation of the People Order (RPO), and will hold dialogue with the political parties in this regard, an election commissioner said yesterday.
“We will invite registered political parties to the talks at appropriate time,” Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain told journalists at his office.
The EC will propose inclusion of some new provisions in the RPO, and changes in some existing ones, he said without elaborating.
The dialogue might start prior to the budget session of parliament, the election commissioner said in reply to a question.
The budget session is likely to begin in the first week of June.
Earlier, the EC held a series of talks with political parties on electoral reforms before the December 29 parliamentary election last year, and major amendments to the RPO were made.
At present there are 39 registered political parties in the country.
The EC is going to initiate the process of electoral reforms again in the light of its experience in conducting the last parliamentary election.
Sakhawat said the EC wants to maintain contact with the political parties represented in parliament.
He mentioned that some 52 out of 1,538 candidates in the last parliamentary election are yet to submit their polls expenditure reports. None of the incumbent lawmakers is among them, he confirmed.
“Officials concerned have been directed to file cases against candidates failing to submit polls expenditure reports,” Sakhawat said.
Asked about election expenditure reports submitted by political parties, he said six parties are yet to comply with the law.