Staff Correspondent

To address the complexities related to the existing delimitation law, the Election Commission (EC) plans to submit an amendment proposal to the government. The relevant EC committee has been instructed to present its preparations in this regard at the next commission meeting, Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah has said.

Besides, a committee has been assigned to review further the Voter List Act. The Election Commission (EC) will wait for the final report from the Election System Reform Commission before proceeding with any changes, he said after the third commission meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Thursday morning.

During the briefing at the Election Commission building, Sanaullah said, "Several important issues were discussed in the meeting, and we have formed several committees to address them.”

Regarding the review of the Voter List Act 2009, the election commissioner stated, “We believe more research is required on this matter, so the relevant committee has been assigned to conduct further review.”

Highlighting the trend of urban migration in the country, he said if constituencies were determined solely based on population, urban areas would gain more seats while other areas would lose representation. The commission believes this would not ensure fair representation.

Regarding the Delimitation Act 2021, the election commissioner said, “The existing law has two key issues. Currently, constituency boundaries are determined primarily based on population. We propose that delimitation should also consider geographical area, location, and the latest census report.”

He also pointed out a clerical (typing) error in one subsection of the law, which currently restricts the Election Commission from making necessary changes. “This should not be the case. We will highlight the issue and formally request an amendment from the government,” said Sanaullah.