jurisdiction, in view of the Children Act, 1974.39 Right to Political Participation: The normative?? position in favour of democratic governance, which has been translated into international law as an ‘entitlement’ in recent years, is also well accommodated in the Constitution of Bangladesh. The Constitution not only declares democratic governance as one of the fundamental principles of State policy,40 but also stipulates that “[t]he Republic shall be a democracy in which fundamental human rights and freedoms and respect for the dignity and worth of the human person shall be guaranteed [...] and in which effective participation by the people through their elected representatives in administration at all levels shall be ensured.”41 The Representation of the People’s Order (Amendment) Ordinance 2008 significantly changed the electoral law that had been in place since 1972, in an attempt to address corruption in politics. The major political parties considered some of the new provisions in the bill, such as the abolition of students’ and women’s wings and foreign chapters, to be undemocratic, but they accepted the changes with some reluctance and revised their party constitutions. Under the amended Ordinance, candidates must reveal information about their education, wealth, and criminal records when they file to run for parliament. Election financing and campaign mechanisms are also to be 41 40 Article 11 of the Constitution. See also, the preamble, and articles 7 (1) and 59 (1) of the Constitution.