Electoral system for national legislature

Bangladesh's Constitution of 1972, Reinstated in 1986, with Amendments through 2014, accessed 15 January 2024

65. Establishment of Parliament

1. There shall be a Parliament for Bangladesh (to be known as the House of the Nation) in which subject to the provisions of this Constitution, shall be vested the legislative powers of the Republic:

Provided that nothing in this clause shall prevent Parliament from delegating to any person or authority, by Act of Parliament, power to make orders, rules, regulations, bye-laws or other instruments having legislative effect.

2. Parliament shall consist of three hundred members to be elected in accordance with law from single territorial constituencies by direct election and, for so long as clause (3) is effective, the members provided for in that clause; the members shall be designated as Members of Parliament.

3. Until the dissolution of Parliament occurring next after the expiration of the period of ten years beginning from the date of the first meeting of the Parliament next after the Parliament in existence at the time of the commencement of the Constitution (Fourteenth Amendment) Act, 2004, there shall be reserved fifty seats exclusively for women members and they will be elected by the aforesaid members in accordance with law on the basis of procedure of proportional representation in the Parliament through single transferable vote: Provided that nothing in this clause shall be deemed to prevent a woman from being elected to any of the seats provided for in clause (2) of this article.

3A. For the remaining period of the Parliament in existence at the time of the commencement of the Constitution (Fifteenth Amendment) Act, 2011, Parliament shall consist of three hundred members elected by direct election provided for in clause (2) and fifty women members provided for in clause (3).

Bangladesh, Representation of the People Order (RPO) 1972 (as of November 2023), accessed 15 January 2024 

Article 38. Where, after consolidation of the results of the count under Article 37, it is found that there is equality of votes between two or more contesting candidates and the addition of one vote for one such candidate would entitle him to be declared elected, the Returning Officer shall forthwith draw a lot in respect of such candidates, and the candidate on whom the lot falls shall be deemed to have received the highest number of votes entitling him to be declared elected. The lot shall be drawn in the presence of such of the contesting candidates and their election agents as may be present. The Returning Officer shall record the proceedings in writing, and obtain thereon the signature of such candidates and election agents as have been witness to the proceeding.

Article 39. (1) The Returning Officer shall, after obtaining the result of the count under Article 37 or of the drawal of the lot under Article 38, declare by public notice the contesting candidate who has or is deemed to have received the highest number of votes to be elected.

(2) The public notice shall contain the name of, and the total number of votes received by, each contesting candidate 1[ as a result of consolidation under Article 37 or drawal of lot under Article 38].

(3) The Returning Officer shall, immediately after publication of the notice under clause (1), submit to the Commission a return of the election in the prescribed form together with a copy of the consolidated statement.

(4) The Commission shall publish in the official Gazette the name of the returned candidate.