Dialogue among parties needed for impartial poll: JaPa

Staff Reporter :
The ruling Awami League-led government should initiate dialogue with all political parties for the sake of a free, fair and acceptable election, the Jatiya Party (JaPa) told the European Union (EU) Election Exploratory Mission at a meeting on Saturday.

“The one point of the JaPa is we want fair elections like all political parties want an impartial election. Besides, people of the country also want an acceptable free, fair and credible participatory poll. The role of the government and the Election Commission is crucial to make the election acceptable. Political issues should be resolved through discussions,” JaPa’s General Secretary Md Mujibul Haque told the reporters after the

hour-long meeting with the EU team at Gulshan 2.
The dialogue among the political parties should be initiated by the government, he said adding that there will be no solution without discussion.
Md Mujibul Haque, however, said that the Awami League and BNP both came up with their one-point movement.
“BNP wants the resignation of the government, while the Awami League wants elections under Sheikh Hasina,” he added.
When asked whether there was any talk about the election time government, JaPa Secretary General replied, “There was no talk about the caretaker or poll-time government during the meeting. They are not interested in it.”

He also said another EU delegation will come to Bangladesh on July 23. They will also have meetings with different parties in the interests of a free and fair election.
“The European Union delegation also discussed about sending observers to the upcoming elections,” he added.
The Jatiya Party’s meeting with the EU delegation was led by Jatiya Party Chairman Golam Mohammad Quader.
Jatiya Party Secretary General Md Mujibul Haque Chunnu and Chairman’s Advisor Masroor Mawla were present at the meeting.
Earlier on July 9, the European Union’s six-member Election Exploratory Mission arrived in Dhaka to asses the atmosphere ahead of the next national election.
The delegation, which will be visiting Bangladesh till 23 July, includes Dimitra Loannou, Alves Chritina Dos Ramos, Miller Ian James, Chamagne Christopher and Marie-Helene Enderlin.
The main objective of the visiting EU mission is to assess the “advisability, usefulness and feasibility” of a possible EU Election Observation Mission (EOM) for the upcoming parliamentary elections, according to the EU Mission in Dhaka.