Bangladesh News

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said the election commissioners do not want to become national traitors by reneging on the commitment to the nation for holding the stalled ninth parliamentary election before the year end.

“We are fully committed to the electoral roadmap. This is a do or die situation…the election must be held within the timeframe stipulated in the roadmap,” CEC Huda said assuring an Awami League (AL) delegation.

“We are in if there is an election, and if it is not there, then we are out,” CEC Huda asserted in response to AL acting chief’s doubts about holding of the parliamentary poll within the timeframe stipulated in the electoral roadmap announced by the EC.

When his attention was drawn to the much talked about issue of forming a national unity government before the parliamentary election, the CEC said the ongoing discussion on the matter is giving rise to unwarranted problems, which are meaningless. “We have no link with that,” Huda asserted.

Acting AL President Zillur Rahman, who led the party delegation to the second day of the second round of electoral reform dialogues with the EC, asked the commission to announce immediately a tentative schedule for holding the parliamentary election, dispelling the doubts in the public mind about its fate, and also not to hold polls to any local government before the national election.

Zillur also called upon the military backed caretaker government to lift the state of emergency immediately, and to release detained AL President Sheikh Hasina and other top leaders of the party.

The acting AL chief, who spoke at the opening of yesterday’s talks, also suggested the caretaker government to begin its national dialogues with parliamentary parties immediately to overcome the present political crisis in the country.

In response to the AL acting chief’s remarks, CEC Huda questioned why confusions are being raised over holding of the parliamentary poll by the end of December this year.

“Election is the only legitimate way to state power. So, the election must be held and all of our activities are for creating an atmosphere for the election,” CEC Huda told the AL delegation during the bilateral talk held at noon in the EC Secretariat conference room in presence of journalists.

About the state of emergency, the CEC reiterated that the election cannot be held amid the emergency regime.

“We asked the caretaker government to create an environment conducive to holding elections. Now it depends on the government whether it will lift or relax the state of emergency to create the proper environment for polls,” the CEC said referring to the EC’s February 4 meeting with the chief adviser.

He also said the government will also have to lift the countrywide restrictions on indoor politics, so political parties may embark on their reform activities.

The AL acting chief asked the EC to properly follow the electoral roadmap. “If you can do so, our full cooperation will be with you,” Zillur said.

Earlier in the day, the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) sat in a dialogue with the EC, where its delegation told the commission that the people have doubts about holding of the polls within the timeframe stipulated by the roadmap.

“We don’t know why the doubts are there, but those must be removed from the public mind, and the Election Commission must follow the electoral roadmap,” CPB Secretary General Mujahidul Islam Selim said.

While placing AL’s electoral reform proposals, its Presidium Member Tofail Ahmed said, “Sometimes we become afraid observing the progress in implementing the electoral roadmap.” He was referring to the delay in completing the dialogues between the parties and the EC.

He said the dialogues were supposed to be completed by November of last year and the proposals for electoral reforms were supposed to be made into laws by this month according to the roadmap. “But we are still discussing the issues,” Tofail quipped.

He urged the EC to resolve the BNP issue that delayed the completion of the talks. “The solution to the problem is in the EC’s hands,” he said.

The CEC admitted to the AL delegation that the completion of the talks was delayed due to the nagging BNP issue.

The EC on November 5 of last year invited M Saifur Rahman-led faction of BNP to the first round of electoral reform dialogue with it on November 22, prompting Khandaker Delwar Hossain-led faction, loyal to detained Chairperson Khaleda Zia, to challenge the commission’s decision in the High Court (HC).

The matter is still pending in the HC, resulting in the EC’s failure to yet hold even the first round of talk with BNP.

“Completion of electoral reforms will make us happy and boost our confidence as well,” CEC Huda said adding, “Other components of the roadmap however are being implemented on schedule.”

In the afternoon the EC sat for a talk with Jatiya Party (Ershad), where a delegation of the latter said they want the parliamentary election according to the roadmap.

“We also want the state of emergency to be lifted. But simultaneously we don’t want to see the election getting hampered, following withdrawal of the emergency rules,” said Anisul Islam Mahmud, acting chief of Jatiya Party (JP), who led the delegation.

“We are not concerned about the state of emergency, rather our concern is a meaningful election. If the state of emergency is not lifted, then all restrictions imposed by emergency rules must be relaxed allowing fundamental rights,” the acting JP chief said.