The Election Commission (EC) yesterday made it clear that members of parliament (MPs) would not be allowed to seek votes on behalf of candidates in the upcoming polls to Dhaka North and South City Corporations in the capital. The issue of MPs’ involvement in the civic poll process came up after veteran Awami League (AL) lawmakers Tofael Ahmed and Amir Hossain Amu were made election coordinators for the AL respectively for the Dhaka North and Dhaka South City corporation polls. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Nurul Huda has clarified during a press briefing at his office in the capital that any incumbent lawmaker cannot attach himself/herself ‘directly’ with the election process of the mayoral candidates.

According to the electoral code of conduct, government officials and employees as well as individuals who enjoy government facilities cannot campaign for any candidate.

“They (MPs) can’t directly act as the coordinator of any mayoral campaign. We’ve already held discussion with a number of MP’s about this today,” Huda said in the briefing.

Earlier, before the press briefing, CEC Huda had a meeting with Tofael Ahmed. Tofael went to the EC office with a delegation from the ruling party. The delegation included presidium

member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, joint secretary general Mahbubul Alam Hanif and organising secretary Mirza Azam.

Asked by journalists whether Tofael and Amu can act as election coordinators for the AL, Huda said, “I think they can’t act as coordinators. We haven’t so far received any information about who belongs to the coordination committee. If we receive any information officially, we would ask them not to conduct any direct activity for their party candidates.”

In reply to the question whether any lawmakers can take part in mayoral candidates’ campaign, Huda said, “There is no prohibition from our side on the presence of any MP in the poll campaign of a mayoral candidate. But, they can’t act directly ask for votes for the candidates.”

He, however, said since the Mujib Year would be celebrated this year and there were plenty of political programmes surrounding that celebration, a sitting lawmaker could take part in those programmes. After the meeting with the CEC, Tofail spoke to journalists and said his party would cooperate with the EC in holding an acceptable city election.

“The CEC told us that we can’t take part in any campaign for mayoral election. We can’t directly ask for votes for our party candidates. But, as MPs, we can take part in any private strategic discussion,” Tofail said.

He said, as ruling party lawmakers, they would not do anything that would put the credibility of the mayoral election in doubt.

He, however, said people like Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Moudud Ahmed and Mirza Abbas were ministers and state ministers during their tenure.  But they were allowed to take part in the campaign for their candidates as they are not sitting lawmakers. “We can’t do much here. The law says what it says,” he said.