In a significant move to overhaul campaign aesthetics and environmental impact, the Election Commission (EC) has officially banned the use of posters for the upcoming 13th National Parliament Election and the referendum, scheduled to be held on February 12.
Under the newly implemented 'Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates, 2025,' the commission has tightened the reins on traditional electioneering, specifically citing Clause 7(a) to outlaw posters of any kind.
This mandate is paired with a strict prohibition on non-biodegradable materials, such as plastic, rexine and polythene, as the EC shifts toward a more eco-conscious and orderly voting process.
The official campaign window, which opened on January 22, is set to close at midnight on February 10, exactly 48 hours before polls open.
During this period, candidates are restricted to using banners, leaflets, and festoons that adhere to rigorous design standards.
According to Clause 7(e), all physical campaign materials must be printed exclusively in black and white, featuring only the candidate’s photograph and their assigned symbol.
The commission has set maximum dimensions for these items: banners are capped at 10 feet by 4 feet, leaflets must not exceed A4 size, and festoons are limited to 18 inches by 24 inches.
To clear up any confusion regarding placement, EC Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed issued a formal clarification to returning officers, noting that banners may be displayed either horizontally or vertically as long as they stay within the prescribed size limits.
Despite these clear directives, EC Secretariat Director of Public Relations Md Ruhul Amin Mollik reported that unauthorized poster use has already been detected in several regions.
He emphasized that such actions constitute a punishable offense and warned that printing presses have been explicitly instructed to refuse orders for election posters.
The Commission remains firm that all registered parties and independent candidates must strictly observe these rules to ensure a disciplined lead-up to the national vote.
Over 1.57 Lakh Expatriate Ballots Reach Bangladesh via 'Postal Vote BD' App
Over 157,000 expatriate ballots have successfully arrived in Bangladesh via the 'Postal Vote BD' mobile app system.
Salim Ahmad Khan, Team Leader of the OCV-SDI project on expatriate voter registration, informed on Sunday that as of 11 am, exactly 157,798 overseas ballots had reached the country.
The digital registration and tracking system shows robust engagement from the diaspora, with 461,604 expatriate voters having already cast their votes.
Of these, 415,762 ballots have been formally submitted to international post offices or mailboxes, while more continue to arrive at the Election Commission (EC) headquarters.
The EC data further reveals that 766,862 ballots registered through the app have reached their respective destination countries, with 520,501 voters successfully receiving their documents.
On the domestic front, the Commission has dispatched postal ballots to 580,968 registered in-country voters (ICPV).
As of Sunday morning, 24,091 of these domestic voters had accessed their ballots through the app, with 17,053 completing the voting process and nearly 10,000 already returning their ballots via the postal service.
In total, a staggering 1,533,684 voters—comprising both expatriates and domestic citizens—have registered to participate in this historic election and referendum using the "Postal Vote BD" platform.
