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The Election Commission (EC) is contemplating measures to bar teachers under the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) scheme from contesting elections as candidates to prevent conflicts of interest and preserve election neutrality, Election Commissioner Md. Anwarul Islam Sarkar said on Sunday (September 6).
Addressing journalists at his office in the EC Secretariat in Agargaon, Dhaka, Commissioner Anwarul Islam clarified that while the proposal is actively being evaluated, a definitive policy decision has yet to be finalized.
The observation comes amid demands from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, which submitted a nine-point charter calling to keep MPO teachers eligible for contesting polls while disqualifying leaders of the banned Awami League from participating in local government elections. Addressing the demand to bar political office-bearers from local government polls, Anwarul Islam noted that the commission has no legal scope to comment, as existing statutory laws mandate non-partisan local government polls without party tickets, necessitating corresponding amendments to election conduct rules.
Highlighting the structural conflict involving teachers, Anwarul Islam explained that recommendations have been proposed to amend the relevant election laws. Under current arrangements, teachers frequently serve as presiding and polling officers; if MPO teachers run for office, workplace affiliations risk undermining public confidence.
"The core mandate of the Election Commission is to deliver a fair, credible, and neutral election that remains entirely above controversy," the commissioner stated. "Teachers are among the most respected individuals in society. If a teacher enters the electoral race, colleagues naturally campaign in their favor, yet those very same colleagues are appointed as presiding and polling officers at polling stations. This inevitably invites controversy and compromises perceived impartiality."
