The Election Commission has finalised the proposals to amend the Representation of the People’s Order (RPO) to introduce electronic voting machines (EVMs) in polls and will forward it to the law ministry on Monday for vetting.
Officials completed all the documentations on Sunday, which was a public holiday, to prepare the bill.
“We have opened initiatives so that the proposal can be forwarded to the law ministry on Monday,” EC Additional Secretary Mokhlesur Rahman told Bangla Tribune.
On Thursday, the Election Commission (EC) said that it has has decided to amend rules to introduce e-voting in parliamentary polls.
The decision came at a meeting the same day after Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar walked out in protest against the planned use of EVMs in national elections.
The other three commissioners and chief KM Nurul Huda were present.
It was a majority decision on amendment to the electoral rules after Mahbub’s note of dissent, CEC Huda told the media after the meeting.
Commissioner Talukder sent a note to the meeting expressing his opinion after the walkout.
CEC Huda, however, said they were not sure not sure if EVMs will be used in the upcoming general election.
Following the law ministry’s vetting, the proposal to amend the RPO will be presented in the Cabinet for approval.
After getting the government’s green light, it will be tabled in Parliament and forwarded to the parliamentary panel for approval, before being passed as a law.
The Parliament goes in to session on Sep 9, which is expected to continue until mid October.