The authority to determine whether educators serving within private educational institutions under Monthly Pay Order (MPO) arrangements will be permitted to run for local government office rests entirely with the Election Commission (EC), according to State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development (LGRD) and Co-operatives Mir Shahe Alam.

“The Election Commission formulates the election rules and determines the eligibility and ineligibility of candidates. Now the Election Commission will consider our laws and the policies of the Ministry of Education and decide whether MPO-listed teachers can participate in the elections,” he said.

The state minister delivered these observations while addressing journalists following a diplomatic courtesy call between Swiss Ambassador to Bangladesh Reto Renggli and LGRD and Co-operatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan at the Secretariat on Sunday.

He additionally noted that existing regulations impose no upper or lower age limitations for individuals contesting local government elections.

These assertions emerged amid ongoing discussions surrounding the EC's recent recommendations to amend municipal and local governance statutes, which incorporate provisions specifically designed to disqualify MPO-enrolled teachers from electoral candidacy.

The suggested prohibitions have sparked adverse reactions and commentary from various political opposition groups.

In response, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami issued a formal demand urging the EC to retract the proposed clause barring MPO-listed instructors from participating in local government contests.