With the change of EC's position on the issue, officials at the EC secretariat have stopped preparing a set of draft proposals for the reforms, sources said.

When contacted, the officials said they are now busy with updating the voter list. The EC is trying its best to complete this task by August 20 as scheduled, and it is not mulling the reform issue at this moment, they added.

"The move for preparing a set of proposals for reforms has been stopped now. We don't know any reason for this. We hope we will again start working on the issue after the caretaker government takes office in October," a top EC official said.

"In fact, we are now trying hard to complete updating the voter list properly to create public confidence in the Election Commission and re-build its image," he said seeking anonymity.

Replying to a query, EC Secretary Abdur Rashid Sarkar told reporters yesterday that the EC has not yet held any discussion on the reform issue.

Directed by the EC around a month ago, its officials started preparing a draft incorporating proposals like making registration of political parties mandatory and raising the ceiling of a candidate's election expenditure to Tk 10 lakh from Tk 5 lakh now.

The EC also planned to introduce tougher punishment including imprisonment for six months and a fine of Tk 50,000 for irregularities in election campaigns, and restoring the EC's power to cancel candidature.

Sources said the EC however has no plan as yet to reform the existing policy and guidelines for election observers.

In the wake of allegations that some election observer bodies lack neutrality, the EC secretary on Sunday told reporters that if necessary, the present policy and guidelines would be reformed.

Since his appointment in May last year, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) MA Aziz on several occasions declared that he would send a set of electoral reform proposals to the government but he has not done so till now.

POLITICAL PARTIES AND THE EC
Major political parties led by the ruling BNP and main opposition Awami League (AL) are divided on the reform agenda and the present EC.

The AL-led 14-party combine is agitating with its demands for reforms in caretaker government, the EC and electoral laws.

The BNP-led coalition has virtually ignored the opposition demands. The BNP seems to have planned to pass the onus of reforms on the caretaker government.

The ruling alliance has extended its support to the present EC while the opposition combine has been demanding reconstitution of the EC. The opposition line-up did not respond to the EC's invitation last year for a dialogue on preparation of the voter list.

If the EC sends reform proposals to the government and invites political parties for dialogue on the proposals, the opposition combine might reject the invitation, sources said.

Besides, the EC is not sure whether the government will consider its reform proposals since the opposition combine is demanding reforms, EC officials pointed out.