14-party, allies want poll date deferred by 45 days

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The Awami League (AL) led 14-party combine plans a grand electoral alliance with Jatiya Party (JP-Ershad), Jatiya Oikya Front and some Islamic parties, and simultaneous movements calling for the election to be delayed by at least 45 days.

The political parties except the BNP-led four-party alliance want the election to be held in March. In the meantime they want the caretaker government (CG) to create a level playing field by completing correction and publication of the updated voter roll, announcing fresh polls schedule, implementing the package of proposals in its entirety and depoliticising the field level administrations.

Most of them think both the CG and the Election Commission (EC) will not be able to carry out the tasks within 90 days’ time as 48 days have already gone.

It will not be possible for the party to participate in the polls currently scheduled for January 23, said a senior AL leader, adding that they will take part in the election only after their proposals are implemented.

If the polling date is not refixed and the demands are not met, they will not only reject the election, but also resist attempts to hold polls, said a number of the senior leaders.

“No one-sided election will be allowed in the country,” AL President Sheikh Hasina said at a discussion in the city on Wednesday.

The BNP-led four-party coalition wants the election to be held at any cost within 90 days since dissolution of parliament.

But the other political parties believe that instead of holding a farcical election in the name of upholding the constitution, the election should rather be delayed for the sake of fairness and credibility.

Similar views have been expressed by civil society members and different socio-cultural organisations in the last few days. They have observed that the country still lacks an atmosphere congenial to a free and fair election.

Alongside the 14-party combine, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)-led-Jatiya Oikya Front, Islami Oikya Jote, Zaker Party, Islami Oikya Front and several other Islamic political parties have been demanding that the election be put back to March. They have already started preparing themselves for the polls, bearing in mind that those will for sure be delayed for some days.

EC Secretary Abdur Rashid Sarkar however maintains that there is little scope to hold the election on a date beyond the timeframe stipulated by the constitution.

The 14-party coalition and its allies will soon make a formal announcement from a common platform that they will not participate in the election according to the present timetable and ask the CG to put off the date until March.

The planned grand alliance led by AL will also formally ask President and Chief Adviser Iajuddin Ahmed for complete reconstitution of the EC and appointment of a new CA on grounds that both the EC and the current head of the interim government have failed to hold election as per the constitutional provisions.

The AL Parliamentary Board that met formally after four years on Thursday observed that they will not take part in the election if it is to be held according to the current schedule.

After the meeting, AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil said it would be tough for them to participate in the election within the stipulated 90 days. Alleging that the CG has wasted 47 days, he called for a fresh schedule after correction and publication of the updated voter roll.

Besides, AL Presidium and Central Working Committee have noted that an election debacle is inevitable if they go to polls under Iajuddin Ahmed-led CG.

They believe the CG has become a body loyal to BNP-Jamaat alliance following the appointments of four new advisers.

On this issue, LDP, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) and National Awami Party (Nap) have already held meetings and decided that they will not participate in any election under Iajuddin.

“As long as Iajuddin holds the post of chief adviser, we will not participate in any election,” LDP Joint Secretary Firoz M Hasan told The Daily Star last night.

According to the constitution, election is supposed to be held under a non-partisan and neutral CG and EC, but the present ones are anything but neutral, he added.

In parallel with agitation for reforms, the AL-led alliance has been gearing up for the elections. Its allies have also begun negotiating with Hasina over seat sharing.

The ALPB board sat last night to finalise the dates for distributing nomination forms and interviewing the aspirants.

The 14-party will hold a grand rally in the capital on December 18 where the AL president will clarify the stance of her party and allies on participation in the election.

To build up pressure on the caretaker government to hold the election as per the present timetable, the immediate past ruling coalition will hold a grand rally at city’s Paltan Maidan on December 19, a day after the 14-party rally.

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