In Bangladesh, Court of General Jurisdiction, including Supreme Court, is the first instance body dealing with electoral disputes. In the Representation of the People Order, 1972, it stipulates that no election shall be called in question except by an election petition presented by a candidate (Sect. 49). When filing complaint, there is deposit fee of 2,000 Bangladeshi taka.
Procedures and systems for complaints and appeals varied depending upon the stage of the electoral process. For instance:
- Appeals during the voter registration phase were to be made directly to the Registration Officer 12
- Appeals against candidate nomination were to be made to the RO with a further appeal to the EC. The EC’s decision was final according to the RPO
- Complaints regarding campaign violations were determined by an Election Enquiry Committee (EEC), which are appointed by the EC and which comprised District Judges. Appeals against a decision of an EEC were made to the EC, which had final authority
- A petition against the result of an election was to be made to the High Court
For a complaint against the process in a polling booth to be valid, it had to be made to the relevant Presiding Officer in the first instance.
Reference:
Report of the Commonwealth Observer Group, Bangladesh Parliamentary Elections 29 December, 2008