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Cabinet Okays Ordinance

MPs lose power over upazilas

Staff Correspondent
The cabinet approved the Upazila Ordinance yesterday, giving full decision-making and implementation powers to upazila parishads while stripping members of the parliament (MP) of any role in local governance.
The approval comes as the chief adviser meets around 300 former upazila parishad chairmen and members in the International Conference Centre today to discuss the upcoming local and general elections.
The Upazila Ordinance 2008 also empowers the Election Commission (EC) with the authority to hold upazila elections.
In line with other electoral reforms brought by the current government, the new Upazila Ordinance will bar individuals legally proven to be war criminals.
persons with records of loan defaults within a period of a year prior to nominations, full-time and part-time government employees, convicted felons, and fugitives from contesting in the elections.
The ordinance was given the final approval by the cabinet in its weekly meeting yesterday afternoon
The law will become effective after the president promulgates it, repealing tire Upazila Parishad Act 1998 (UPA).
Upazila parishads from now on will be led by one chair and two vice-chairs, while one of the seats of vice-chairs will be reserved for
women.
The parishads' mandate will include administrative and establishment matters, social welfare, planning, designing and implementation of local economic and social policies.
Under the new law, upazila chairmen will not have to consult MPs, which is compulsory under UPA 1998.
UPA 1998 allows MPs to interfere in local government decisionmaking, giving them the chance to weigh in on decisions regarding lucrative infrastructure contracts.
The new ordinance, about to be promulgated, also re-empowers the EC with the authority to announce upazila election schedules, which was earlier taken away from it and given to the central government.
The EC in its electoral roadmap announced on July 15 last year declared that the long due polls to the upazila parishads will be held between November and December this year.
A number of advisers to the caretaker government recently said
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polls to the upazila parishads should be held simultaneously with the parliamentary election, which is scheduled for December of this year.
The last Awami League (AL) government passed the Upazila Parishad Act empowering the EC to announce schedules for upazila elections.
I lowever, amid a volatile political situation, the then EC could not hold the polls and later the same government amended the law and took away the authority from the EC.
Section 25 of the current law empowers lawmakers to become advisers to upazila parishads which arc bound to accept their suggestions.
Once the new law is promulgated, lawmakers will have no power over upazila parishads and the EC will have the power to announce schedules for upazila polls through discussions with the centra) 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 very existence of upazila parishads faced a severe crisis following the second election in 1990 when Ershad stepped down in the face of a mass move-
ment.
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 duringitstenure.
Assuming power through the 1996 general elections, Awami League passed the Upazila Parishad Act in 1998.
The immediate past BNP-led alliance government, which came to power through the 2001 general election, moved for holding the upazila elections 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 recently moved for holding the upazila elections and assured the EC of the return of its power to announce the poll schedules for over450 upazila parishads.