Dhaka, Nov 11 (V7N) — The Election Commission (EC) has issued a gazette on the Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates-2025, introducing a complete ban on posters for campaigning in the upcoming 13th National Parliament election. The new rules also prohibit the use of drones and restrict campaigning from abroad.

At a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon, EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said that no plastic materials may be used during election campaigns. However, the use of electronic digital display boards will be permitted.

He added that the EC plans to begin dialogues with political parties on Thursday (November 13), noting that the Commission had awaited the publication of the code before initiating talks.

Addressing questions about constituency boundaries, the EC Secretary mentioned that complications related to recent court rulings may affect the election schedule, depending on the outcome of the review process.

The EC officially issued the gazette on Monday night (November 10) after the promulgation of the Representation of the People Order (RPO) Amendment Ordinance.

For the first time, the use of posters in election campaigns has been completely banned. The updated code also imposes strict restrictions on social media campaigns, prohibits the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for misinformation, and limits each constituency to a maximum of 20 billboards.

Violations of the code carry a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a fine of up to Tk 150,000 for individual candidates, while political parties face equivalent fines. The EC also reserves the right to cancel candidacies following investigation.

The new code of conduct incorporates several additions based on the Election Reform Commission’s recommendations and updates to the 2008 Code of Conduct, marking a significant tightening of campaign regulations ahead of the upcoming polls.

END/SMA/AJ