Posters will not be used in national elections, punishment for violation of code of conduct increased

No posters will be used in the campaign for the 13th National Parliament elections. A candidate will not be able to use more than 20 billboards in his parliamentary constituency. The Election Commission (EC) has added this new provision to the code of conduct for political parties and candidates. No drones, quadcopters or similar devices will be allowed to be used on election day and during the campaign. The maximum length of the billboard will be 16 feet and the width will be 9 feet. A maximum of 20 billboards can be used in a constituency. The EC sent the rules, prepared in coordination with the proposal to amend the Representation of the People Order (RPO), to the Law Ministry on Wednesday. The code of conduct also includes provisions for preventing cyberbullying of women, not physically campaigning for a candidate abroad and punishing users of artificial intelligence (AI) technology for spreading false information or propaganda. The Election Commission has proposed to increase the fine for violation of the code of conduct. It includes a provision for cancellation of candidature and the fine has been increased from 50,000 to 1,50,000 taka. The previous provision of six months’ imprisonment as a punishment has been retained. It is learnt that most of the previous provisions have been retained in the code of conduct for political parties and candidates. However, several new clauses have been added.