The Council of Advisers on Thursday gave final and in principle approval to drafts of six ordinances, including Bangladesh Labour Act (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 and Representation of the People (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 (RPO). It also gave approval to two other proposals.
According to the amended RPO, a fugitive accused in a case cannot be a candidate in the election. Furthermore, the use of EVMs in the Thirteenth National Parliament Election has been cancelled, and the ‘No Vote’ option has been reinstated.
The approval came at the weekly meeting of the Council of Adviser held at the Chief Adviser’s Office in the city’s Tejgaon area with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in the chair.
Following the meeting, Law Adviser Professor Asif Nazrul briefed the media at the Foreign Service Academy on Thursday afternoon. He said, “A provision has been added disqualifying fugitives from being candidates in the election, regarding candidate eligibility.”
Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam also spoke at the briefing.
“Drafts of two landmark ordinances-the Bangladesh Labour Act (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 and the Representation of the People (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 (RPO)-have been given final approval in today’s meeting,” he said, adding, the Council of Advisers also gave in principle approval to drafts of four other laws.
The drafts of the ordinances that were given approval in principle are: the Supreme Court Secretariat Ordinance, 2025, the Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, and the July Uprising Memorial Museum Ordinance, 2025, and the Spatial Planning Ordinance, 2025.
The council also approved a proposal to change the existing harassing practices and procedures in the post-handover management of residential plots or flats developed by the Ministry of Housing and Public Works and various authorities or organizations under it, with the aim of simplifying services and eliminating corruption.
It also approved another proposal to set up Bangladesh’s new Consulate General Office at Detroit city in Michigan State of the USA.
