Election Commissioner Shah Nawaz on Tuesday said the countrywide municipal elections are likely to be held on party line in the third week of December next.
“Since the elections will have to be arranged within the stipulated time as per the law, the polls in some
250 municipalities may be held in the third week of December. The elections will be held with symbols of political parties,” he told reporters at his Election Commission Secretariat room.
The Commission is, however, yet to decide in how many phases the staggered elections will be held, Shah Nawaz said.
The EC will have to change some relevant rules and code of conduct before arranging the municipal polls as the Local Government (Municipality) Act 2009 is now being amended to hold the municipal polls on partisan basis, he said.
The Election Commission is trying to arrange the municipal polls in a credible manner within the stipulated time, the Election Commissioner said.
The Cabinet on Monday approved drafts seeking amendments to four laws and one ordinance, aiming to hold all local government polls on partisan basis or through party symbol or independently.
The meeting decided to frame the draft of the ‘Local Government (Municipality) (amendment), Bill, 2015’ as an ordinance since parliament is not in session now while the next countywide Pourashava elections would be held by December next.
More than 270 municipalities, out of the country’s 317, are going to complete their five-year tenures by March next. As per section 20 of the Local Government (Municipality) Act 2009, new elections must be held in a municipality within the last 90 days before the expiry of its tenure.
The last countrywide elections for 261 municipalities were held in four phases from January 12-18 in 2011 under the commission headed by ATM Shamsul Huda.
