The Election Commission (EC) has instructed all candidates who participated in Bangladesh’s 13th parliamentary election to submit their election expenditure statements by March 14. A letter signed by EC Senior Assistant Secretary A S M Iqbal Hasan was sent to returning officers on February 25, outlining the directive. The EC cited Article 44(g) of the Representation of the People Order, 1972, which requires candidates to file their expense returns within 30 days after the publication of the official gazette of elected representatives. The gazette for the recently concluded election was issued on February 13.

According to the EC, all contesting candidates must ensure submission of their expenditure details as per Circular-18 issued during the election period. The commission noted that approximately 2,020 candidates contested in the 13th parliamentary election. The submission deadline of March 14 corresponds to the 30-day period following the gazette publication.

The directive reinforces the EC’s monitoring of campaign finance compliance and aims to ensure transparency in electoral spending as mandated by law.