President Md Abdul Hamid has signed the ordinance on amendment to the Representation of the People’s Order (RPO) paving the way to use electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the upcoming general election.
Press Secretary to President Joynal Abedin told Bangla Tribune that the president has signed the ordinance on Wednesday, which will be now published as a gazette notification.
The amendment would allow the use of EVMs alongside ballot papers.
Most political parties, including the BNP, have opposed the use of EVMs in the parliamentary election. The EC decided to amend the RPO on Aug 30 and later sent it to the law ministry for scrutiny.
The Election Commission had said it expected the amendment to be passed in Parliament, but it was clear that it will be not the case when the Cabinet approved the proposal on Monday (Oct 29).
Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told the media then that the amendment would be issued in the form of an ordinance as there was insufficient time to pass it through Parliament ahead of the upcoming election.
The existing RPO was passed in 1972. The use of EVMs has been added to the law through the amendment.
The amended law includes a provision that allows candidates for the next parliamentary elections to repay defaulted loans until the submission of the nominations. Online submissions of the nomination forms have been added to the new law.
According to the previous law, candidates had to pay defaulted loans seven days before they submitted the nomination forms to the commission.
The amendment also includes a minimum penalty of three years in prison and a maximum of seven years for the misuse of EVMs.