Photo: Collected
The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday (29 November) said the current Members of the Parliament who are aiming to run as independent candidates will not need to step down from their positions. This clarification came following the Election Commissioner Rashida Sultana’s statement saying current MPs who want to run as independent candidates must resign from their present positions.
In a media briefing on Tuesday (28 November) in Rajshahi, Rashida Sultana said, "You all know, MPs have to resign if they want to run as independent candidates. It says so in the law." This statement sparked much confusion in political quarters.
On Wednesday, the Election Commission’s public relations officer Md. Shariful Alam said that the independent candidates are required to submit their nomination papers along with a list of signatures from 1% of the total voters from their constituencies. However, if they have been a Member of Parliament before, this partially signed list does not need to be submitted.
A former election commissioner Kabita Khanam said that Members of Parliament (MPs) are not required to resign to participate in parliamentary elections.
However, while MPs are not obliged to resign, they will not be entitled to have any government benefits for their electioneering, clarified the former EC.
Messenger/Sun Yath
