Published: 19 May 2024
One of the most important tiers of the local government system in Bangladesh is the Upazila Parishad. The Constitution of Bangladesh recognizes local government as a representative institution and a vital means for ensuring people’s participation to firmly establish democratic practices at the grassroots level. There are four articles (Articles 9, 11, 59, and 60) in the Constitution of Bangladesh regarding local government. These articles provide clear explanations about the role and effectiveness of local government. Specifically, Article 59(1) states, “Local government in every administrative unit of the Republic shall be entrusted to bodies composed of persons elected in accordance with law.” Article 60 of the Constitution provides that “Local government bodies shall be given the power to impose taxes for local purposes, prepare budgets, and maintain their own funds.”
According to Rule 15(3)(e) of the Upazila Parishad Election Rules, 2013, any individual contesting in this election must submit several declarations in the form of an affidavit. These affidavits include information such as educational qualifications, profession and sources of income, case details, income and expenditure, assets and liabilities of the candidate and their dependents. The affidavit serves as the primary document regarding the qualifications and disqualifications of candidates contesting the election. Therefore, this affidavit is highly important in selecting the right candidate through comparative analysis among the candidates. At the same time, it creates an opportunity to access and compare income and asset information to ensure accountability and transparency of the elected representatives at the local level. Although the Election Commission publishes the affidavits of the candidates, these have yet to establish accountability in terms of the income and asset accumulation and increase of public representatives. Moreover, the usability and accessibility of such information at the local level for the general public is still very limited.
In this context, this initiative has been taken to make all the information of affidavits more accessible and analytically useful on a larger scale. In order to raise awareness among voters about candidates contesting in local government elections, just like in national elections, and to establish accountability, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has created an affidavit-based candidate profile or Know Your Candidate (KYC) database.
Click below for details –
→ Click to go to the Know Your Candidate (KYC) Dashboard based on Affidavits
