The local government reform commission has recommended abolishing direct public elections for mayors of city corporations and municipalities, as well as chairmen of upazila and union parishads.
Instead, only councilors and members will be elected through direct voting, and they will then elect one among them as mayor or chairman. The commission also recommended barring the use of political party symbols in local government elections.
It also suggested that zilla parishad members be elected through direct voting, and the elected ones will further elect one of them as chairman. The zilla parishads would function as planning units, while upazila and union parishads as implementation units.
The commission submitted its initial report to the interim government on Wednesday, along with 210 recommendations in 14 sectors. The chief adviser’s press wing shared the recommendations with the media on Saturday.
The reform commission recommended repealing separate laws and regulations for the five tiers of local government – unions, upazilas, zilla parishads, municipalities, and city corporations.
They proposed consolidating these into two unified laws – one covering unions, upazilas, and zilla parishads, and another for municipalities and city corporations. To reduce cost and time, it has been recommended that elections into these five institutions be held under a uniform process and schedule.
The commission suggested restructuring local government bodies into two sections – a legislative wing, led by a speaker performing duties similar to the parliament speaker, and an executive wing, headed by a mayor or chairman.
Councilors and members will elect a speaker in the parishad’s first meeting, who would then oversee the election of a mayor or chairman through a secret ballot. The elected mayor or chairman would form an executive council of three to five members as per law. The recommendation also outlined a preference for candidates with a graduate degree for mayor and chairman positions, and a secondary school qualification for executive council members.
Elections by June
The commission recommended legislation of two unified local government laws through an ordinance by April, and holding elections for all plain and hill unions, upazilas, zilla parishads, municipalities, and city corporations by June.
It also proposed incorporating the hill zilla parishad and regional council laws into the parliamentary framework and hold elections for the two hill councils by June.
Abolition of village courts
The reform commission also proposed abolishing village courts under union parishads. Instead, it recommended establishing full-fledged civil and criminal courts in all upazilas, except those in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, within the next two years.
The commission also suggested appointing a senior assistant judge in each upazila for alternative dispute resolution (ADR) with full-fledged ADR offices, and formally recognising arbitration at the ward level. The ADR judge would oversee the arbitrations, train the arbitrators, and hear appeals, while the authorities must ensure administrative support in this regard.
Professor Tofail Ahmed, head of the local government reform commission, told Prothom Alo that the national consensus commission has started its work. The key recommendations have been submitted to the government, while the full report will be submitted later.