Local government elections with the participation of party candidates and symbols have helped to institutionalize the democracy in the country.
“Different political parties are now participating in different tiers of local body polls with their manifestoes and party symbols that eventually are playing a significant role in strengthening democracy”, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister M Tajul Islam told BSS in an exclusive interview recently.
In the past, the local body polls were held non-partisan basis. By November, 2015, the government amended the five local government laws which allowed candidates to join in the local polls with the symbol of the political parties.
Terming the political parties as the vital organization in any democratic countries, the LGRD minister said “the political parties usually create political awareness among the people, saying that even the political parties in the country like Bangladesh are also playing more important role.”
He, however, said political parties usually select best candidates for the local government polls. Even the process of giving party nomination for the local government elections is also conventional in the developed democratic countries in the world.
Along with the party nomination, any citizens have a right to fight in the local government polls individually, but qualified candidates usually get selection under the nomination process initiated by different political parties, said the minister.
Referring to the fatalities in the ‘panchayet’ elections in the neighboring West Bengal in India, the minister said the polls related violence which has been taken place recently in India is comparatively less in Bangladesh.
“The local government polls will be held in more satisfactorily and peacefully in Bangladesh in the coming days”, the minister expects.
Citing the elections results of the western countries on unopposed elected ones, the LGRD minister said the number of unopposed elected candidate is very insignificant in our country compare to those developed countries in the world
Under the amended local government laws, the candidates for the local government polls could participate in the elections in different local government tiers by taking symbol of the political party.
Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha