Can't change law: CEC rules out PR system, citing constitution, RPO

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin has flatly ruled out the possibility of introducing a proportional representation (PR) system in Bangladesh’s next national election, saying it is beyond the Commission’s mandate. “The PR system is not in the Constitution. It is not in the Representation of the People Order (RPO). We cannot change the law,” Nasir Uddin told journalists at the Election Commission headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Thursday, September 25. Asked if polls could still be held in February under PR, the CEC dismissed the notion: “If the RPO is changed, then the Constitution must also be changed. That is beyond our authority.” He stressed that the matter is purely political and must be resolved in Parliament. “Let the...