Bangladesh Election: No campaign allowed in educational institutions, foreign lands

No political party or candidate will be allowed to carry out electioneering in educational institutions, government offices or foreign lands, in addition to religious places of worship, according to the recently published electoral code of conduct.

The Election Commission has imposed the ban on campaign in educational institutions, government offices and foreign territories for the first time in the Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates in Parliamentary Election Rule 2025, which was published in official gazette on 10 November last ahead of the national election to be held in February 2026.

A candidate must resign from the president or member post of the management committee of an educational institution before the start of election campaign.

No candidate is allowed to receive any type of reception from an institution, association or organisation and no one involved in election campaign can stay in government Dak-Bungalow, rest-house, circuit-house or any government office.

According to the section 15 of the code of conduct, any registered political party or its nominated candidates or independent candidates or anyone acting on their behalf can't carry out any form of election campaign in mosques, temples, pagodas, churches or any other religious place of worship and any government office or educational institution.

The EC is introducing a hybrid postal balloting system for expatriate Bangladeshis to vote in the upcoming national election, but it barred campaign abroad.

"No political party or candidate can't hold any type of public rally, street rally and meeting or carry out campaign in foreign land centering the election," states section 06 of the code of conduct.

No Posters; Maximum 20 Billboards
The use of posters has completely been banned, but billboards, banners and festoons alongside leaflets and handbills can be used in the electioneering. Besides, campaigning through electronic and digital media is allowed this time.

As per the section 7 of the code of conduct, posters cannot be used under any circumstances, and pamphlets, leaflets, handbills, festoons or banners made from non-biodegradable materials such as rexine, polythene, plastic or other environmentally harmful substances are prohibited.

Banners, leaflets, handbills and festoons must be in black and white. The maximum allowable size is 10 feet by 4 feet for banners, 8.27 inches by 11.69 inches for leaflets, and 18 inches by 24 inches for festoons. These restrictions do not apply to electronic or digital media campaigns.

A candidate cannot install more than 20 billboards in an election area (constituency), each with a maximum size of 16 feet by 9 feet. Poly-coated banners, leaflets or festoons, as well as PVC banners, are prohibited.

No More  Than  3 Loud Speakers
Under Section 17 of the new code, a candidate, or anyone acting on his or her behalf, can't use more than three microphones or loudspeakers simultaneously in a constituency.

This is aligned with Article 44B(3A) of the Representation of the People Order 1972, which prohibits candidates from incurring expenses on more than three microphones or loudspeakers at a time.

However, EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed on 11 November explained the provision saying that not more than three amplifiers can be used in a meeting or rally. "If a candidate holds three rallies, they can use a total of nine amplifiers — three for each," he said.

To curb sound pollution, the new code states that sound from microphones used in campaigns must not exceed 60 decibels, and loudspeakers may only be used from 2pm to 8pm daily.

The violation of the code of conduct could lead to cancellation of the candidature as a provision incorporated in the code alongside the RPO.

Campaign Plan
Political parties or candidates must submit their campaign plans to the authorities before the campaign begins.

To foster mutual harmony and maintain a friendly environment, the returning officer or assistant returning officer will bring all candidates together after symbol allocation to present their electoral manifestos and pledge to follow the code of conduct.

Candidates or party representatives can take part in electoral dialogues hosted by television channels but must avoid personal attacks.

No Drone, Quadcopter
The new code of conduct banned the use of any type of drone, quadcopter or such type of machine in the election campaign and the balloting hours.

Only the president and general secretary of a political party — or their equivalents — may use helicopters for campaign travel. However, no campaign material may be displayed, distributed or dropped using the helicopter. Previously, only the party chief or equivalent could use a helicopter.

AI-Social Media Misuse
According to the code of conduct, Artificial Intelligence (AI) cannot be used for malicious purposes in any election-related matter, including campaigning.

Candidates, their election agents or political parties must submit the name, account ID, email ID and other relevant social media information to the returning officer before the campaign begins.

The code prohibits all harmful content — including hate speech, misinformation, facial distortion, fabricated materials or inflammatory language targeting opponents, women, minorities or any other group of people.

No political party, candidate or affiliated person can create, publish or share false, misleading, hateful, obscene or defamatory content on social media or any other platform through editing or AI manipulation, with the intention of misleading voters or tarnishing any person's image.

Punishment
Punishment for violating the code has been made stricter, with the maximum penalty raised to six months' imprisonment and a fine of Tk150,000 (previously Tk50,000).

A new provision requires candidates to submit a written commitment to abide by the code and accept punishment in case of violation.