Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka TribuneIt flays the move to curtail the commission’s power to scrap candidacyTransparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has urged the election commissioners to step down amid the move to amend the Representation of the People Order (RPO) to scrap the Election Commission’s power to cancel candidacy of candidates for the national election. In a media statement on Thursday, it described the move as “suicidal” and said it would weaken the constitutional body. The initiative to scrap the RPO provisions, which gave the Commission to scrap candidacy upon investigating allegations, is stunning and “nothing but an attempt to make the Election Commission ineffective”, it said. The nation will benefit if all the commissioners, including the chief election commissioner, voluntarily resign if they feel that they are incapable of discharging the constitutional duties entrusted to them, the release added. TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said: “According to the subsections 1 and 2 of the 91E of the RPO, 1972, if a complaint is raised against a candidate, it will be investigated and if proven the candidature of the concerned candidate will be canceled and that power is with the Election Commission.

Source: Dhaka Tribune August 27, 2020 18:33 UTC