The government plans to begin union parishad elections—the lowest tier of the local government structure—next July. In the first phase, elections are planned in 204 union parishads, most of which are located in six districts of the Barishal division. The second phase of union parishad elections may be held toward the end of this year. The elections are expected to start immediately after polls for city corporations, district councils, upazila parishads, and pourashavas are completed.
Officials at the Ministry of Local Government say the government wants to complete local government elections while its popularity remains strong following a landslide victory in the 13th National Parliamentary Election.
Preparations have already begun accordingly. Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that the local election process will begin as soon as possible. However, before that, parliament must make a final decision on whether local elections will be held under party symbols. Only then will the election process formally begin. The first session of the National Parliament is scheduled to start on 12 March.
According to the Local Government (Union Parishad) Act, the next election must be held within 180 days after the completion of five years from the first meeting of a union parishad formed through an election. Ministry sources said the first phase of union parishad elections was held on 21 June, 2021, when elections took place in 204 union parishads. As the terms of those bodies have now expired, the government intends to hold elections in those unions.
On 17 February, the Ministry of Local Government sent letters to all Deputy Commissioners (DCs), asking them to prepare and submit a structured report on who is currently performing duties in all union parishads across the country. The ministry requested information on how many union parishads currently have chairmen in office, how many are being run by panel chairmen, and how many are being administered by appointed administrators.
According to ministry data, Bangladesh currently has 4,580 union parishads. However, after the fall of the Awami League government following the student–mass uprising on 5 August, 2024, many union parishad chairmen went into hiding. Of the 4,580 union parishads, chairmen in around 1,500 unions reportedly absconded and stopped attending offices. Murder cases were filed against many of them. Slightly more than 3,000 chairmen have continued performing their duties regularly. In unions where chairmen were absent, the interim government appointed administrators. In some areas chairmen remain in charge, while in others panel chairmen are carrying out responsibilities.
The Ministry of Local Government currently does not have updated information on how many chairmen, panel chairmen, or administrators are serving nationwide. After the new government assumed office following the national election on 12 February, the ministry sent letters to DCs seeking updated data.
Pirojpur Deputy Commissioner Abu Sayeed told Prothom Alo that authorities were asked to report whether there were any legal complications in holding union parishad elections in the district.
Information on how many unions are being run by administrators was also requested and has already been submitted to the ministry.
Barishal Deputy Commissioner Khairul Alam Sumon said that several unions in the district are currently being run by administrators, although the number is relatively small.
A senior official of the Local Government Ministry told Prothom Alo that priority is being given to elections in the 204 union parishads where polls were held in June 2021, as their terms have already expired.
Local elections under party or non-party symbols
In 2015, the then Awami League government amended laws to allow elections at five levels of local government to be held under party affiliations and symbols, revising five separate local government laws. However, after assuming office, the interim government repealed provisions allowing party-symbol elections in city corporations, district councils, upazila parishads, municipalities, and union parishads. The Ministry of Local Government and the Election Commission are now waiting to see whether the ordinance will be passed into law during parliament’s first session—and whether party symbols and affiliations will be retained or abolished.
On 24 February, Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the final decision on holding local government elections, including city corporation polls, under party symbols would be determined by parliament.
Ministry sources said that in 2021, elections were held in phases: the second phase covered 834 union parishads on 11 November; the third phase included 1,004 unions on 28 November; the fourth phase was held on 27 December in 836 unions; and the fifth phase took place on 5 January, 2022, covering 708 union parishads. The ministry plans to conduct elections in these unions gradually in upcoming phases as well.
Previous local government elections conducted under party affiliations saw widespread violence and significant loss of life, raising questions about electoral credibility. Voter turnout was also low. Additionally, the appointment of administrators in union parishads has caused difficulties for ordinary citizens in accessing local services.
Badiul Alam Majumdar, Secretary of Citizens for Good Governance (Shujan), told Prothom Alo that holding local elections under party symbols has caused significant harm to the country. According to him, party-based elections increased violence. In the past, when elections were non-partisan, many respected and popular individuals participated—something that later declined. He also said party-based elections led to large-scale nomination business, preventing many qualified candidates from contesting while allowing unqualified individuals to enter local government.
Majumdar added that the number of candidates has also declined due to party-based elections, arguing that local government polls should therefore be conducted on a non-partisan basis.