Bangladesh News

Awami League (AL) yesterday renewed its call to the government for creating a congenial atmosphere by lifting the state of emergency immediately and holding parliamentary elections ahead of other polls.

“We want the national elections held before all other polls and immediate withdrawal of the state of emergency,” said Syed Ashraful Islam, acting general secretary of the AL, while talking to journalists following a meeting with the visiting Election Observation Exploratory Mission of the European Union (EU).

“We think the main responsibility of this government is to hand over power to people’s representatives. This government shouldn’t do anything that might hinder the election,” he added.

The visiting EU mission yesterday held talks with several political parties and members of civil society and the media to assess conditions in the run-up to the national elections in the country.

The EU mission arrived here on June 15 on a weeklong visit to weigh up whether to send its Election Observation Mission (EOM) to the country.

The meeting between the AL and the EU mission was held at AL Acting President Zillur Rahman’s Gulshan residence in the capital and lasted about two hours.

Syed Ashraf told journalists that various issues were discussed with the EU delegation and the key issues they discussed were the lifting of the state of emergency, the parliamentary elections and electoral schedule, reforms in political parties, political party registration act, national security council and the Representation of People Order act.

During the briefing Ashraf also urged the government to stop arresting political activists, otherwise it would be impossible for all to participate in the next elections.

Commenting on the speculation of forming a national security council, the AL acting general secretary said, “Formation of a national security council can be discussed in the next parliament, not now.”

About reforms in political parties, he said they told the delegation that the AL is always positive about carrying out reforms, but the government is yet to take any effective steps in this regard and adopt the Political Party Registration act.

Zsolt Bartfai, the chief of the EU delegation, told reporters that the EU headquarters is considering sending a 150-member team to observe the parliamentary polls here.

AL leaders Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzzak, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Motia Chowdhury, Syed Ashraful Islam and Saber Hossain Chowdhury were present at the meeting.

JP

Jatiya Party (JP) Chairman HM Ershad in a meeting with the EU delegation said his party has made preparations for both the upcoming local government and the parliamentary polls.

JP presidium member and former prime minister Kazi Zafar Ahmed and Acting Chairman barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud were present at the meeting.

BIKALPADHARA BANGLADESH
The EU delegation also met leaders of Bikalpadhara Bangladesh at its Acting Secretary General Maj (retd) Abdul Mannan’s office at Banani in the city. Besides Mannan, party chief and former president Prof AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury and Mahi B Chowdhury were present during the meeting.

“They [EU delegation] wanted to know our opinion regarding different matters related to the next election,” Mannan told reporters after the meeting.