The New Nation - Internet Edition

THE council of advisers of the interim government recently approved 'in principle' the Upazila Parishad Ordinance creating two seats of vice-chairmen, one reserved for women, in the local government body. The ordinance provides that voters will directly elect the chairman and two vice-chairmen of the upazila parishad. Union parishad chairmen, municipal mayors and elected women members to the reserved seats of wards under the upazila concerned would be members of the upazila parishad The draft law awaits vetting by the Law Ministry.

The new law being made ahead, presumably, of the election at the year-end for revival of the local body, provides that if upazila parishad chairman or vice-chairmen hold any post at any level of any political party, he or she will have to resign before taking oath. Under the new ordinance, dispute regarding election cannot be filed in any other court except the election tribunal. The tribunal and the election appellate tribunal will have to dispose of the dispute within a fixed timeframe. The complaint will have to be made within 30 days of gazette notification and the tribunal has to dispose of the case within 180 days.

Appeal against the tribunal verdict should be filed within 30 days while the appellate tribunal will have to dispose it of in 120 days. The candidates for upazila parishad election will have to submit their wealth statement individually before being sworn in. Provision has been made in the ordinance that if the outgoing upazila parishad fails to hand over office to the newly elected parishad in presence of a first class Magistrate, then maximum 3 years imprisonment and maximum Taka 20,000 in fines will be awarded to the delinquents. Those accused for war crimes would be disqualified for contesting the upazila parishad election.