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MP influence in upazila to go

Govt decides to empower EC to hold local govt polls

Staff Correspondent
The caretaker government yesterday decided to revoke the power of members of parliament (MP) over upazila parishads. and to empower the Election Commission (EC) to hold polls to the parishads. a crucial tier of the local government system.
The council of advisers to caretaker government at a meeting approved a proposal to amend the
current Upazila Parishad Act 1998 repealing a provision that allows local representatives to the parliament to interfere in the activities of upazila parishads.
It also approved a proposal to empower the EC with its lost authority' to announce election schedules for upazila parishads once again, shifting the power back to the commission from the central government, sources said.
The council of advisers, which is
the interim cabinet, sent the pro posals to the law ministry for vetting Once the procedures are completed, the president will promulgate an ordinance amending the current Upazila Parishad Act, said Syed Fahim Munaim, press secretary to the chief adviser, during a post meeting news briefing.
"Lawmakers will have no role in upazila parishads once the current law is amended.' Adviser MM Shawkat Ali told The Daily Star last night.
In the wake of a long standing demand for repealing the authorities of lawmakers over local government institutions, the caretaker government took the decision in a bid to strengthen the local government system, making it free of interference from the central government.
At the meeting. Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed said the caretaker government wants to implement soon the recommendations of a committee on strengthening the local government system.
The LGRD and cooperatives ministry moved the proposals for brining amendments to the Upazila Parishads Act 1998. .Although the law was introduced in 1998, no government since then initiated steps to hold polls to upazila parishads as senior ministers and lawmakers vehemently opposed the move.
The last Awami League (AL) government passed the Upazila Panshad Act empowering the EC to announce schedules for the parishad elections.
However, amid a volatile political situation, the then EC could not hold the polls and later the government amended the upazila law and took away the authority from the EC.
Section 25 of the current law empowers lawmakers to become advisers to upazila parishads which are bound to accept their suggestions.
Once the amendments arc brought to the current laws, lawmakers will have no power over upazila parishads and the EC will have the power to announce schedules for parishad polls through discussions with the central government, instead of taking approval from it
The first election to upazila parishads was held in 1985 after its introduction in the local government system during the regime of military ruler HM Ershad But the v i-ry existence of upazila parishads
faced a severe crisis following the second election in 1990 when Ershad stepped down in the face of a mass movement.
A BNP government assumed power in 1991 and dissolved the upazila system. The Supreme Court in a judgment in 1992 directed the government to hold elections to upazila parishads within six months, but the BNP government did not hold the polls during its tenure.
.Assuming power through the 1996 general elections, Awami League passed the Upazila Parish ad Act in 1998.
The immediate past BNP-led alliance government, which came to power through the 2001 general election, moved for holding upazila parishad elections this time and formed a cabinet committee for the purpose. But the committee members failed to reach a consensus on holding the polls.
All those governments meanwhile sought extension of time on many occasions from the Supreme Court to comply with its directives for holding the polls.
The current caretaker government now moved for holding the upazila parishad elections and assured the EC of regaining its power to announce the poll schedules for over 450 of those.
The EC in its electoral roadmap announced on July 15 last year declared that the long due polls to the upazila panshads will be held between November and December this year.
A number of advisers to the caretaker government recently said polls to the upazila parishads should be held simultaneously with the parliamentary election, which is scheduled for December 2008
Ihecommitreeon restructuring and strengthening the local government recently placed a set of recommendations to the chief adviser including a recommendation to form upazila parishads.
The council of advisers are scheduled to meet again tomorrow.