EC Sends Letter to Law Ministry to Know about Progress of RPO Reform

The Election Commission (EC) has written to the government for the third time to inquire about the progress of amending the Representation of the People Order, 1972. The Commission said that despite repeated calls for revising the RPO, the law ministry is ignoring the matter.

Today Sunday (November 27) a letter signed by Deputy Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat Abdul Halim Khan has been sent to the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs of the government. EC said this is their last letter. The amendment proposal should be answered by December 15.

Expressing anger at the ministry, the letter said that it is the responsibility of all the executive authorities of the government to assist the work of the Election Commission. This is stated in Article 126 of the Constitution.

The Election Commission feels that the EC will not be able to achieve the required capacity to perform its duties if the requests and demands of the Commission are ignored in violation of the Constitution and the law.

This letter also mentions that by ignoring the commission's capacity, its independence, and the government's goodwill towards the election, people may doubt it.

Earlier, on August 8, the EC sent the proposal to amend the Representation of the People Order, 1972 to the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division. As the Division did not respond, the EC sought a reply to the first letter on September 28 and sent a second letter to the department on October 10.