Staff Reporter :
The Cabinet on Monday approved the proposal for amendment to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) enabling the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the upcoming national election.
The approval to the proposal titled ‘Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 2018’ was given at the weekly meeting of the Cabinet on Monday held in the Prime Minister’s Office with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Cabinet Secretary Md Shafiul Alam said that the amendment would be made effective by an ordinance of the President, as there was little time to pass it in the Parliament ahead of the upcoming election.
The cabinet secretary highlighted several aspects of the meeting to the media afterwards.
The existing RPO was passed in 1972, he said. EC’s initiative for the use of EVMs needs amendment.
The amended proposal includes a provision that allows probable candidates to repay defaulted loans until the submission of the nominations. Online submissions of the nomination forms have been added to the new law.
Formerly, candidates had to pay the defaulted loans seven days before they submitted the nomination forms to the Commission. The amendment also includes a minimum penalty of three years in prison and a maximum of seven years for the misuse of EVMs, Cabinet Secretary Md Shafiul Alam said.
“A detailed outline of security measures has been prepared to dispel fears over the use of EVMs,” he said.
