Information on assets held within and outside the country to be added to the affidavit. Affidavit and income tax returns of the candidates to be circulated so that voters can take informed decisions regarding candidates.

Year
2025
Reform Domain
Electoral Process Electoral Process
Sub Domain
Affidavit
Source of Reform Proposals
Electoral Reform Commission.
Reform Proposed
Reform Proposed
Reform Initiated
Reform Initiated
Legal and Policy Framework
Legal and Policy Framework
Operationalisation
Operationalisation
Action Implementation
Action Implementation
Stage of Implementation
Reform Proposed
Reform Proposed
Last Update: 14-Dec-25
This reform proposal has been articulated in the Electoral Reform Commission Report but has yet to be officially initiated.
Reform Initiated
Reform Initiated
Last Update: 14-Dec-25
On 11 August 2025, the Election Commission finalised the draft Representation of the People Order (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025. On 2 September 2025, the EC sent the finalised draft RPO amendment proposal to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs for vetting.
Legal and Policy Framework
Legal and Policy Framework
Last Update: 02-May-26
On 3 November 2025, the Representation of the People (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 (Ordinance No. 56 of 2025) was promulgated and published in the Bangladesh Gazette. A further amendment, the Representation of the People Order (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 (Ordinance No. 75 of 2025), was promulgated and published on 8 December 2025. The amendments were subsequently given parliamentary statutory form through the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 2026 (Act No. 03 of 2026) on 10 April 2026.
Operationalisation
Operationalisation
Last Update: 02-May-26
The deadline for candidates to submit their nomination papers, including the required affidavit and income tax-related documents, closed at 5:00 pm on 29 December 2025, after which scrutiny of nomination papers was scheduled for 30 December 2025–4 January 2026.
Action Implementation
Action Implementation
Last Update: 02-May-26
For the 13th National Parliamentary Election, scrutiny of the nomination papers of 2,568 candidates has been completed, resulting in the disqualification of 28 per cent of the submitted nominations.
Observation
    According to Election Commission sources, the majority of disqualified candidates in the 13th National Parliamentary Election were independents. Common grounds for rejection included technical discrepancies in voter support lists, incomplete or false affidavits, non-disclosure of legal cases, dual citizenship, loan defaults, unpaid bills, failure to complete the required three-year post-retirement period for government employees, and irregularities in party endorsements.
Resources
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Related Reforms

(a) Election expenditure to be capped at BDT 10 per voter per parliamentary constituency.
(b) All election expenses to be processed through banking systems or financial technology platforms (e.g., Bkash, Rocket).
(c) To maintain close oversight on election expenditures of candidates and political parties, the Election Commission to set up ‘election expenditure monitoring committees’ at the constituency levels.
(d) Election expenditures filed by candidates and political parties to be subjected to auditing, the candidates’ election to be annulled in case of discrepancies.
(e) All election related expenses of the Election Commission to be a charge on the consolidated budget of the Republic.
Operationalisation
(a) To allow stationary observation, so that observers may remain at the centre throughout the day, but not inside the polling booth continuously. (b) Official permission to be granted to observer organisations for pre-election observation. (c) Fake and biased observers to be banned. (d) Appointment of individual observers is to be allowed. (e) Election observation reports are to be used to improve future elections. (f) To make the steps from the beginning to the end of appointing international observers clear for the concerned organisations. To appoint observers according to the decision of the Commission instead of the government. (g) Journalists with valid election commission-issued cards are to be allowed to enter polling stations to document irregularities, and they are to be allowed to use motorcycles on election day.
Operationalisation
(a) The proposed Election Commission Act to have provisions to ensure that offenses or irregularities committed by the Election Commission to be brought to justice. (b) By amending the relevant law, to retain the provision requiring the Commission’s permission to file cases against government officers and employees, and to remove the legal barriers to conducting an investigation or inquiry in this regard. (c) To relax the prescribed time limit for filing cases under sections 73 and 74, in section 90 of the Representation of the People Order, 1972. (d) A time limit to be set for the disposal of electoral offense cases to expedite the length of adjudication and ensure timely justice.
Reform Proposed
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Glossary

Last Updated: 14th December 2025

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