DHAKA, Feb 4, 2026 (BSS) - The Election Commission (EC) has issued a directive to ensure that political parties and candidates strictly follow the established code of conduct for election campaigning via social media ahead of the 13th National Parliamentary Election and Referendum, scheduled for February 12.

Md. Ruhul Amin Mollick, Director (Public Relations) and Information Officer of the EC Secretariat, today informed that a formal letter has been sent to all Returning Officers to enforce these regulations.

According to Rule 16 of the "Political Parties and Candidates Code of Conduct, 2025," candidates, their election agents, or any individual acting on their behalf are permitted to conduct electioneering on social media platforms. 

However, the guidelines mandate that candidates or parties must submit identifying information --including the name of the social media platform, account IDs, and email addresses -- to the respective Returning Officers before commencing any digital campaign activities.

Furthermore, Rule 22(2) of the 2025 conduct guidelines specifies that all costs related to social media campaigning must be accounted for. This includes expenses for content creation, advertisements, boosting, and sponsorships. 

Such expenditures must be included in the overall election expense report submitted to the Election Commission and filed with the Returning Officer.

In light of these requirements, the EC has requested all Returning Officers to ensure the proper implementation of these rules. 

Returning Officers have also been directed to collect and forward data regarding which social media platforms are being utilized by political parties and candidates to the Public Relations branch of the EC Secretariat.