The Election Commission has brought a change in the election code a week before the parliamentary polls, relaxing the provisions for the use of maximum three microphones or loudspeakers and the content of voter slip.
According to the revised Parliamentary Election Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates Rule, 2025, a candidate or anyone on his or her behalf can use the necessary number of microphones or loud speakers in a rally instead of only three ones.
The Commission amended the code of conduct on January 29 last but its gazette was uploaded in the EC’s website on Wednesday.
As per the changed code, a candidate or his or her behalf, the voter slips (maximum 12cm by 8cm) with name of contender and symbol can be distributed among the voters
In the original code, the name and symbol of a candidate can’t be given in the voter slip.
The EC brought the change in the content of voter slips following a demand placed by BNP.
On January 15 last, a BNP delegation, led by its standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, in a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin drew the Commission’s attention to restrictions on voter slips under the code of conduct.
After the meeting, Salahuddin told reporters that voter slips should contain information such as voter number, candidate name and symbol to help voters easily identify their preferred candidates.
“Currently, voter slips cannot contain party names, symbols or candidate photographs. We believe these restrictions should be reconsidered,” he said.
The BNP leader said every candidate distributes voter slips and voters are capable of making their own choices. “We should simplify the election process so that maximum voters can participate.”
The Election Commission on December 11 last announced the polls schedule to arrange the 13th parliamentary election and the referendum on the July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order simultaneously on February 12, 2026.
