All candidates who contested the 13th National Parliament election have been instructed to submit their election expense statements by March 15.

A letter in this regard, signed by ASM Iqbal Hasan, senior assistant secretary of the Election Commission of Bangladesh, was sent to all returning officers on Wednesday (February 25).

The letter states that under Article 44(c) of the Representation of the People Order, 1972, all contesting candidates are required to submit a return of election expenses to the returning officer within 30 days of the publication of the official gazette listing the names of the elected candidates. The gazette containing the names and addresses of the elected candidates in the 13th National Parliament election was published on February 13.

It further notes that necessary steps must be taken in accordance with Circular-18, issued in connection with the 13th National Parliament election, to ensure submission of expense statements by contesting candidates. In addition, information on the election expense returns submitted to the offices of returning officers must be forwarded to the Election Commission by March 25.

The gazette notification for the 13th National Parliament election was published on February 13, meaning the 30-day deadline will expire on March 15. All contesting candidates must submit their expense statements within this timeframe.

A total of 50 political parties took part in the 13th National Parliament election, with 2,028 candidates contesting in 299 constituencies.