Several political parties have criticised the Election Commission for amending the Representation of the People Order (RPO) and drafting the electoral code of conduct without prior consultation.

With barely a month to go before the announcement of the election schedule, many critical issues remain unresolved

The government is weighing a step back from its move to amend article 20 of the RPO, a fresh change that will allow parties in an alliance to contest polls with a common symbol, according to highly placed sources.

New draft amendments to the RPO also mandate income tax returns, stricter affidavit rules

Former Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain in an interview with The Daily Star.

The EC's rush in revising the RPO meant allowing the ruling party to impose their wish in the codification process.

The amendment of the Representation of the People Order (RPO) comes at a critical juncture when the demand for holding a free and fair election in Bangladesh is getting louder at home and abroad

The prospect of a free and fair election is still eluding us.

Proposed curbing of EC’s power sends a wrong message at the wrong time