NPA demands political parties disclose list of 100 upper house candidates before election
NPA also said holding elections for the 300-seat parliament and the upper house on the same ballot is fundamentally problematic.
Network for People's Action (NPA) has demanded that political parties participating in the upcoming 13th national election publish a tentative list of 100 candidates for the proposed upper house before polling day.
At a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity NPA leaders today (9 February) said that if voting is held without disclosing the candidate lists, voters will be forced to cast their ballots without knowing the identity and qualifications of potential representatives, which goes against democratic transparency and the principle of informed consent.
According to the political platform, although there is a proposal to form a 100-member upper house through proportional representation subject to approval in a referendum, political parties have yet to disclose their prospective candidates. This has created public confusion about how the upper house would be constituted.
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NPA also said holding elections for the 300-seat parliament and the upper house on the same ballot is fundamentally problematic. Supporters of parties that have not fielded candidates in all constituencies would be unable to effectively participate in the upper house election, which could violate the principle of equal voting rights.
In this context, NPA placed two key demands: first, making it mandatory for every political party to publish a sequential list of 100 upper house candidates before the election; and second, introducing a separate ballot for the upper house election to ensure equal participation by all voters.
The organisation said it would continue to oppose the formation of the upper house under the current process. However, considering the positive aspects of broader constitutional reforms, NPA said it supports voting "Yes" in the referendum.
NPA spokesperson Ferdous Ara Rumi, along with central council members Kausar Shakil, Ferdous, Kaushik Ahmad, Mir Huzaifa Al Mamduh, Shamim Ara Nipa, Anik Roy, Baki Billah and other members, were present at the press conference.
