Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher on Friday warned that without genuine electoral reforms, public confidence in upcoming polls would remain fragile.
He cautioned that a rushed or poorly managed election would fail to meet the nation’s expectations.
Speaking as the chief guest at a party programme in Cumilla city, Taher said: “We want a participatory, free, fair and impartial election – a celebration of democracy. All legitimate parties should be able to participate and a level playing field must be ensured beforehand.”
He urged the government to act sincerely in removing barriers to political participation, stressing that such steps would clear the path for timely elections. “Elections must take place; otherwise, the country could face a crisis,” he added.
Addressing the ongoing debate on electoral reforms, Taher strongly endorsed the proportional representation (PR) system, arguing that it was key to ending authoritarianism and restoring credibility to Bangladesh’s political process. He cited a recent survey indicating that 71 percent of the public supports PR.
“Those committed to democracy have a moral obligation to accept proportional representation,” he said, adding that the traditional system followed for over five decades had failed to reflect people’s will.
However, major opposition party BNP has consistently rejected the PR model, insisting that Bangladesh is not yet prepared for such a system and that the next polls must be conducted under existing electoral arrangements.
Taher’s remarks come amid growing debate over the framework for the next general election, with several parties pressing for structural reforms to ensure fair participation and credible results.
