Bangladesh News

The state of emergency is going to be lifted finally on December 12 as the caretaker government has agreed to the Election Commission’s (EC) proposal to that end.

The EC at a meeting with Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed at his office yesterday proposed to lift the emergency from December 12 on expiry of the deadline for withdrawal of candidacy in the national polls, sources say.

The chief adviser consented to the proposal and assured EC that his government is ready to do everything required to ensure holding a free and fair election, the sources add.

“We talked to the government and it assured us of taking measures to lift the state of emergency after the last date for withdrawal of candidacy,” Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda said last evening at a press briefing.

Replying to a query, the poll chief, who held an over-one-hour-long meeting with the CA, said they asked for complete withdrawal of emergency.

According to the new schedule for parliamentary election, the last date for withdrawing candidacy is December 11.

In line with EC’s proposal and CA’s assurance, the emergency state will be lifted on December 12, about two years after enforcement of the emergency rules.

Meanwhile, Home Adviser MA Matin after a law and order meeting at the Secretariat yesterday said the country’s law and order would not deteriorate even if emergency is lifted.

“We expect that the situation will remain normal after lifting of emergency,” he told reporters after the meeting, dismissing any deterioration of law and order.

For the first time, a specific date was announced for lifting the state of emergency. In the wake of political parties’ growing demands, the caretaker administration has recently announced that emergency would be lifted on a reasonable time before polls.

Earlier, some advisers to the caretaker government even announced that the parliamentary election would be held under the emergency state. They argued that emergency was required to ensure voters’ safety during polls.

The polls to four city corporations and nine municipalities were held on August 4 under full state of emergency and fairness of the polls prompted the government and even EC to hold the ninth parliamentary election under “relaxed” state of emergency.

“The two electoral alliances requested the Election Commission to pursue the government for withdrawal of the state of emergency allowing them to launch electioneering in a free atmosphere,” CEC Huda said, referring to the last three days’ negotiations with the two alliances led by AL and BNP.

If emergency — imposed on January 11, 2007 amid grave political turmoil suspending the January 22 parliamentary polls — is lifted on December 12, the candidates will have to abide by only the electoral code of conduct.

In fact, the electoral code of conduct is harsher then Emergency Powers Rules regarding to the punishment for its violation.