The Election Commission (EC) has forwarded amendments to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) 1972, including provisions for a “No” vote in uncontested constituencies, to the Law Ministry for vetting.

EC Secretary Akhter Ahmed said the ministry will review the changes before they are published as a gazette.

Key proposals include:

EC’s authority prevailing over government in case of disagreements

Senior officials, including police, placed under EC control 45 days before polls

Secret reports and disciplinary actions against officials violating EC directives

Runoff voting instead of lottery in case of a tie

Increasing candidate deposits to Tk 50,000

Allowing journalists during vote counting

Election expense monitoring committees

Parties required to publish financial reports online

Court cases to be settled before symbol allocation

Legal action for false affidavits even after polls

Penalties for filing false complaints