NCP ready for Feb polls if July Charter given legal basis: Nahid

Staff Reporter :

National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam has said his party is prepared to contest the next national election in February, provided the legal framework of the July Charter is enacted. He warned that bypassing essential reforms would cast doubt on the credibility of the polls.

“Skipping reforms will make the election questionable. NCP wants both a Constituent Assembly and a legislature through the legal basis of the July Charter.

The sooner that legal foundation is completed, the sooner we can move toward elections,” Nahid told reporters on Tuesday night before departing for a five-day visit to China.

His remarks came just hours after the Election Commission announced that it had approved the roadmap for the 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections, which could be made public at any time.

Speaking about his trip, Nahid Islam said an eight-member NCP delegation is traveling to China at the invitation of the Communist Party of China (CPC). “The purpose of this visit is to strengthen ties with the CPC.

We will exchange political missions and visions between our two parties,” he noted.
The NCP leader also expressed hope that the tour would help enhance friendship between the governments and peoples of Bangladesh and China. He added that the delegation would also attempt to meet members of the Bangladeshi diaspora during their stay.

Nahid’s remarks underline the growing pressure on political actors to ensure that the July Charter, the outcome of last year’s mass uprising, is not sidelined in shaping the country’s electoral and constitutional future.