Local Elections Under Strict Code of Conduct

After holding local government elections on party lines for a decade, the Election Commission (EC) is preparing to conduct the upcoming polls on non-partisan lines. Tailored codes of conduct have been issued for Union Parishads, Upazila Parishads, Municipalities, City Corporations, and Zila Parishads, replacing the 2016 regulations to ensure a level playing field, curb money and muscle power, and prevent misuse of state authority.

The new rules ban conventional campaign posters while strictly regulating other promotional materials. Campaign print items must be black and white, indicate printing dates, avoid polythene or PVC lamination, and keep physical campaign symbols under six feet in dimension. Using live animals for campaign purposes is strictly banned.

Permitted promotional materials must comply with the following dimensions:

• Banners: Maximum 10 ft by 4 ft.
• Leaflets and Handbills: A4 size (8.27 inches by 11.69 inches).
• Festoon: Maximum 18 inches by 24 inches.
• Billboards: Display area capped at 16 ft by 9 ft.

Campaign logistics and outdoor visibility vary by administrative tier:

• Union Parishad: Maximum 1 billboard per ward.
• Upazila Parishad: 1 billboard per union/municipal ward (maximum 20 across the entire constituency). Campaign camps are restricted to 1 central office, 1 per union, and 1 per every 3 municipal wards.
• Municipality: 1 billboard per ward.
• Zila Parishad: 1 billboard per upazila or police station area. Loudspeakers are entirely banned.

Loudspeaker usage is permitted only between 12:00 PM and sunset, limited to a single device at any given point, with sound levels not exceeding 60 decibels.

Social media campaigning is now brought under regulatory oversight; digital campaign spending must be documented within official election expense statements. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate deepfakes, misleading visuals, or false information against rivals is explicitly prohibited.

To counter voter coercion, the commission has banned collecting national identification (NID) cards or mobile phone numbers, an issue flagged during past parliamentary polls.

“Very Important Persons” (VVIPs) including the Prime Minister, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Ministers, Chief Whip, Opposition Leader, Deputy Ministers, MPs, and City Mayors are prohibited from campaigning for any candidate. Incumbent chairs, mayors, appointed administrators, and staff of government or statutory bodies are also barred from election canvassing.

Campaigning inside religious establishments (mosques, temples, pagodas, churches) and government offices or educational institutions is strictly banned. Institutional grounds may be used for campaign assemblies only with administrative consent and without disrupting academic activities.

Violence, intimidation, destruction of property, and financial inducements to secure votes are subject to penal action. Uncertified individuals are forbidden from carrying arms or explosives into voting zones. Violations of the code of conduct carry penalties of up to six months’ imprisonment, alongside financial fines (up to 10,000 BDT in Union Parishad polls).

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud noted that local government elections involve fierce interpersonal rivalry, making violence prevention a top operational priority. The EC is considering holding Union Parishad polls across all districts within an entire administrative division simultaneously to concentrate law enforcement deployment. Talks with political parties will precede election schedules, and military deployment may be considered in later phases if law and order conditions require escalation.