Dhaka: Government service holders will have to wait for three years after retirement to take part in municipality polls.

The Election Commission has incorporated this provision in the proposed rules for conducting municipality election. Earlier, unlike parliamentary polls, the officials could contest in municipality pools immediately after retirement, reports a news agency on Wednesday.

Besides, there is also another provision in the rules that allows the incumbent mayors to take part in polls without resigning from the post of mayor.

Election Commissioner Shah Newaj said the mayors would be able to contest in upcoming municipality polls without resigning from their posts. There is no legal bar for them to contest elections staying in their respective positions as the municipality mayoral post is not profitable, he added.

Shah Newaj said not only municipality elections the mayors can take part in parliamentary elections without quitting the office of municipality mayor. An EC official said the commission is pledge-bound to hold municipality polls in December.

The EC has decided in principal to hold polls in 242 municipalities instead of 245 as there are some complications in three municipalities. There are a total of 324 municipalities in the country.

The EC is going hold polls in those municipalities as there is a compulsion as per Local Government (Municipality) Act, 2009 to hold elections within 90 days before expirations of tenures.

As per this provision of the law, elections should be held in these municipalities from November 2015 to January 2016. Meanwhile, the municipality electoral code of conduct is likely to be gazette tomorrow following vetting by the law ministry. The proposed code of conduct lifts bar on electioneering by ministers, MPs and others enjoying government facilities.