Long-pending local government elections have entered uncertainty as Election Commission (EC) and the government find themselves at odds over the poll schedule, with opposition parties accusing the government of interfering with the authority of the constitutional body.
The dispute surfaced after EC announced a possible schedule for Union Parishad (UP) elections from 12 November, while State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam said the government had not been informed about the decision and no discussion had taken place with the ministry.
Opposition parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami and National Citizen Party (NCP), have criticised the development, accusing the government of undermining the EC’s independence and raising concerns over the prospects of a fair and impartial election.
After an EC meeting on Monday, Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah announced the possible schedule for the UP polls. The following day, State Minister Shahe Alam told journalists at the Secretariat that the government was unaware of the decision.
“I want to inform the people of the country that the government knows nothing about this. There has been no correspondence or any other form of discussion with the government,” he said.
The minister said that although the EC is an independent institution, local government elections have traditionally been organised after discussions with the government, preparatory meetings and consultations with law enforcement agencies.
“In local government elections, there are issues including the budget, which require discussions with the ministry or the government. No such discussion has taken place,” he said.
The commission responded cautiously to the minister’s remarks.
EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said, “The minister’s statement is final. I will not show the audacity to make any counter-comments on this matter. No comments from my side.”
He said the schedule announced by the commission was only a preliminary plan, with elections proposed in five phases while two phases were kept reserved.
An inter-ministerial meeting with stakeholders, including the education ministry, Local Government Division and home ministry, will be held on 17 September. EC will finalise the schedule after considering recommendations from the meeting, he said.
“Discussion is an ongoing process. Who was discussed with, when and how – I have no additional comments on this matter at the moment,” Akhtar said.
EC Abdur Rahmanel Masud told TIMES, “The authority to decide on holding elections lies with Election Commission. However, discussions are held with the Secretariat on various aspects of preparations for local government elections. I have not spoken to anyone.”
He said the announced schedule was only a possible one and would be finalised after receiving all necessary information at the 17 September meeting.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has indicated that the schedule for local government elections could be announced after an inter-ministerial meeting.
He said EC operates under the law and has two constitutional responsibilities: holding national parliamentary elections and conducting presidential elections.
“Apart from these, the law does not allow such elections to be conducted without discussions with the government. This is a matter of coordination,” he said while speaking to journalists on Tuesday.
Opposition parties, however, said the dispute raised questions over EC’s independence.
Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair said ministers had repeatedly commented on the timing of local government elections, although the matter was not within their jurisdiction.
“They have talked about elections once in July-August, then in October, and even in January-February. This puts Election Commission under question and reduces public confidence in it,” he told TIMES.
He said EC was an independent institution and should announce election dates according to law, while the government’s role was limited to providing assistance.
NCP also accused the government of interfering in EC’s affairs and questioned the commission’s independence.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the party protested EC’s “submissive role” and the government’s “undue interference”, saying the dispute had exposed the commission’s lack of independence as a constitutional body.
The party criticised EC Secretary Akhtar’s remarks that the minister’s statement was final, saying they reflected the commission’s “weakness and dependence”.
NCP alleged that government pressure had forced EC to take inconsistent positions, undermining public confidence and affecting the prospects of a fair and neutral election.
It demanded that EC work independently and free itself from government influence.
NCP Central Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar also accused the government of interfering with EC.
“When local government elections will be held is within the jurisdiction of Election Commission. The government cannot raise questions over this,” he told TIMES.
Election analyst Abdul Alim, also a member of the Election Reform Commission under the interim government, said the dispute reflected weaknesses in the legal framework governing local government elections.
“We do not have any law that specifically states how these processes of local government elections should be completed. Due to this legal weakness, a practice has developed over the years where Election Commission and the government determine dates through coordination,” he said.
He said such coordination had become necessary because the government provides the budget and the authority to redraw union and upazila boundaries rests with the Local Government Ministry, not the EC.
“Therefore, this coordination is necessary in the interest of a fair election,” he said.
The election analyst said local government elections should be brought under the Constitution to ensure EC could make decisions independently.
