Reform commission set to propose major overhaul of local govt polls, structure
If local government elections from 2021 to 2024 were held simultaneously with the parliamentary elections, the Tk23,000 crore spent would have come down to less than Tk600 crore, says Local Government Reform Commission Chief Professor Tofail Ahmed
Professor Tofail Ahmed, the chief of Local Government Reform Commission, has said the commission may propose holding all local government elections in the country on the same day to reduce cost.
Speaking at a views exchange meeting at the National Institute of Local Government (NILG) auditorium in the capital's Agargaon today (6 January), he outlined a series of proposals aimed at overhauling the local government system.
He added that local government elections should be aligned with the parliamentary election system.
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"From 2021 to 2024, about Tk23,000 crore was spent on local government elections. If the elections were held uniformly, this cost would have come down to less than Tk600 crore," Tofail said.
He added, "We want to submit our proposal to the government by the last week of February."
For structural changes
Tofail also outlined proposals for structural changes, including transitioning to a unified election law.
"Zila parishad, upazila parishad, and other local government elections follow a one-by-one system. We want to change this. For this, we will propose a parliamentary system for all elections and draft a unified law," he said.
Among other recommendations, Tofail highlighted the challenges facing municipalities, saying, "Municipalities have no income, and most employees have unpaid salaries. Therefore, it may be proposed to abolish municipalities."
Regarding zila parishad, he said, "There is no public involvement, and their budgets and projects lack accountability. The election system must change to involve people, with members elected from all upazilas within a district."
He also mentioned plans to improve planning and implementation through a "District Planning" organisation.
"They will make all development plans and oversee implementation," he said.
Measures to prevent MPs from interfering
Addressing governance issues, Tofail added, "We will suggest measures to prevent MPs from interfering in local government work.
Additionally, we are examining how to coordinate taxes with local governments to increase revenue."
"When a member or chairman is elected, they incur significant costs imposed by societal expectations, not the law. We will consider changes to this situation," he said.
The meeting, organised by the Local Government Reform Commission in collaboration with the Local Government Division and NILG, is being attended by other commission members, including Dhaka University Professor Ferdous Arfina Osman and Nari Uddug Kendra Executive Director Mashuda Khatun Shefali.
Commission's key proposals
Key suggestions included holding all local government elections on the same day, eliminating party symbols in local elections, increasing the authority of local governments, and granting public representatives greater autonomy to fulfil their duties effectively.
Suggestions were made to entrust all local government elections directly to the Election Commission, decentralise administrative power, and establish mechanisms to ensure accountability of local representatives.
Other notable recommendations included conducting local government elections under a caretaker or non-party government if necessary and reserving specific roles for women representatives in municipalities, city corporations, and upazilas.
No-vote provisions
The commission also recommended introducing no-vote provisions, re-announcing election schedules for uncontested seats or high no-vote counts, and setting vote percentage thresholds for election validity.
Participants also suggested allowing public representatives to make all decisions, with government employees restricted to a secretarial role and preventing parliamentarians from interfering in local government decisions.
The Local Government Reform Commission invited the public to provide their feedback and recommendations by 20 January 2025 through its website www.lgrc.gov.bd, social media, email [email protected], or phone 01325212475.
Challenging and time-consuming
Speaking to The Business Standard, eminent jurist Shahdeen Malik said, "If all local government elections are held simultaneously, it would be challenging and time-consuming for voters to exercise their franchise. This is because voters would be presented with numerous ballot papers, necessitating multiple votes. Therefore, addressing this issue effectively may not be feasible."
Regarding the abolition of municipalities, the jurist opined that it would not be a wise decision, as municipalities and union parishads serve distinct functions. Instead of abolition, the focus should be on exploring strategies to enhance the revenue generation capacity of municipalities to ensure their effective functioning.
The jurist expressed support for the reform commission's proposal of a parliamentary system for local government elections.
He said, "A parliamentary system for local government elections would be a beneficial approach to improve the electoral process."
