Campaigning for the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary elections is beginning.

From Thursday (January 22), 1,973 rival candidates will begin their campaigning campaign, but they will have to abide by the EC's election rules.

The EC said that a total of 1,973 candidates, including independent and political party candidates, are contesting the elections this time. This number will increase slightly if some candidates are validated by the court. All these candidates will have to follow the code of conduct issued by the EC during these election campaigns. If any candidate violates the code of conduct, the Election Commission (EC) can impose various penalties, including cancellation of his candidacy.

The code of conduct states that there are restrictions on the use of drones and posters in election campaigns, as well as on campaigning abroad. More than 20 billboards are allowed, manifestos are announced on one platform, and candidates and parties must pledge to abide by the code of conduct.

The rules outline what can and cannot be done, including imposing strict restrictions on social media campaigning, prohibiting the use of AI for malicious purposes, and banning the use of posters and drones. Violation of the code of conduct carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a fine of 150,000 taka, and a fine of 150,000 taka for the party. The EC also has the power to cancel candidatures subject to investigation, if necessary.

The Representation of the People's Order (RPO) Amendment Ordinance was issued on November 4 last year. Then, in light of the RPO, Election Commission Secretary Akhtar issued the Code of Conduct in the form of a gazette on November 11 last year.

Former Additional Secretary of the Election Commission and former member of the Electoral Reform Commission, Jasmine Tully, said, "The symbols have been allocated. At this stage, ensuring strict adherence to the electoral code of conduct is the biggest challenge for the Election Commission."

Every stage of the election is important and there is no room for taking the code of conduct lightly. If the code of conduct is not properly followed by political parties and candidates, it will become extremely difficult for the Election Commission to control the entire election.

Jasmine Tuli also said that this time a large number of candidates are contesting. In this situation, ensuring a level playing field and ensuring compliance with the code of conduct from the moment the election begins to the end should be the main responsibility of the commission.

The code of conduct will not just be on paper, political parties will have to follow it in practice. In addition to administrative tasks such as preparing the central voter list and managing election materials, the commission will have to closely monitor every behavior of candidates, only then will it be possible to keep the elections fair.

Seeking cooperation from political parties and candidates in adhering to the code of conduct, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin said, "If the code of conduct is followed properly, the elections will be held smoothly. For this, your cooperation is very important. The Election Commission alone cannot organize a fair election. For this, the cooperation of the political leadership is essential."

Guidelines to be followed during election campaign

Election campaigning on social media: A candidate or his election agent or any other person on behalf of the candidate may conduct election campaigning using social media. However, in this case, the candidate or his election agent or party or candidate shall submit the name, account ID, e-mail ID and other identifying information of the relevant social media to the Returning Officer before commencing such campaigning;

Artificial intelligence (AI) cannot be used for malicious purposes in any election-related matter, including campaigning.

All types of harmful content, including hate speech, misinformation, disfiguring someone's face, and fabricated election-related information, may not be created and disseminated.

Hate speech, personal attacks or inflammatory language targeting opponents, women, minorities or any other group of people should not be used. Religious or ethnic sentiments should not be misused to achieve electoral interests. All election-related content should be fact-checked before sharing and publishing on social media.

No political party, candidate or any other person on behalf of a candidate may create, publish, disseminate or share any false, misleading, biased, hateful, obscene, offensive or defamatory content, whether generally or by means of artificial intelligence, on social media or any other medium, with the intention of misleading voters or of defaming the character or reputation of any candidate or person, regardless of gender.

A new clause has been added to the Representation of the People Order, providing for punishment for electoral offenses to stop rumors and AI misuse.

What else is in the code of conduct?

No party or candidate will be allowed to hold public meetings, street rallies, meetings, or any other campaign abroad in connection with the election.

Posters will not be used in election campaigns. A candidate will not be allowed to use more than 20 billboards in his parliamentary constituency; the length of which will be a maximum of 16 feet and width of 9 feet.

No drones, quadcopters, or similar devices may be used on election day or during campaigning.

A rival candidate or any other candidate or organization on his behalf may distribute voter slips. However, the voter slip may not include the candidate's name, photo, position name, or symbol.

Only digital billboards can use lights. Electricity can be used. Moreover, there is a ban on lighting.

Banners, festoons, and leaflets cannot be covered with polythene, but plastic (PVC) banners cannot be used.

The list of very important persons receiving government benefits has also been added to the list of chief advisors and members of the advisory council of the interim/caretaker government. As a result, they will not be able to campaign on behalf of candidates.

Emphasis has been placed on using environmentally friendly materials in the campaign; a ban has been imposed on the use of polythene and rexine in campaign materials.

The noise level during the campaign must be kept at 60 decibels.

A commitment from the candidate and the party to abide by the code of conduct will also be required.

The RPO has a provision for cancellation of candidature in case of 'serious' offences of the code of conduct. Earlier, the RPO section was not in the code of conduct, but this time it has been added. The EC cancels candidature in case of election offences as per section 91 of the RPO. This issue has been clarified in the code of conduct.

An opportunity has been provided for media dialogue and for all candidates to announce their manifestos on one platform. The Returning Officer will arrange for all candidates in the respective constituencies to read their manifestos or declarations in one day.

Candidates will be able to campaign from Thursday, which will continue until 7:30 a.m. on January 10. Voting will be held on Thursday, February 12, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.