Parties show mixed reaction to polls plan declaration
Staff Reporter :
The much anticipated roadmap of the upcoming 13th parliamentary elections announced by the Election Commission (EC) has met with a mixed reaction from different political parties of the country.
The BNP has expressed satisfaction over the announcement while the Jamaat-e-Islami showed dissatisfaction and the NCP set precondition of holding the election.
BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed on Thursday welcomed the roadmap for the upcoming 13th National Parliament elections, saying it reflects the expectations of the nation.
Besides, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has expressed dissatisfaction over EC’s election roadmap declaration saying it was conventional and somewhat misleading.”
In a statement shared on BNP’s media cell Facebook page, Salahuddin termed the announcement a “positive step” made at the “appropriate time.”
“We hope that the national polls will be conducted in line with this roadmap,” he added.
BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury also praised the Election Commission’s announcement, saying it has renewed people’s optimism for an elected government and a functional parliament.
“Today’s announcement of the election roadmap is good news. People’s attention has now turned toward the polls.
Everyone is waiting – the nation will witness an election, an elected government will emerge, and a parliament will be constituted,” he remarked while speaking at a seminar at Hotel Sherina in Dhaka on Thursday.
Separately, Ganosamhati Andolan Chief Coordinator Zonayed Saki described the roadmap as the “formal declaration of the interim government’s election plan.”
In his statement, Saki urged all political parties to cooperate in safeguarding the electoral process from disruption. He suggested forming a multi-party monitoring body to oversee the interim government’s role in ensuring fairness, as well as preparing a code of conduct with input from all parties.
“If any breach of electoral rules or irregularities occurs anywhere in the country, this committee will intervene to resolve the issue,” Saki said.
He also called for dialogue between the government and political forces to frame policies on the voter list, election atmosphere, and related matters.
Jamaat’s reaction: In response to the Election Commission’s announcement of the national election roadmap, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami termed it “conventional and somewhat misleading.”
In a statement posted on the party’s Facebook page today (28 August), Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar said, “The roadmap fails to meet the people’s expectations.”
He stressed that the nation hopes for the next parliamentary election, slated for February next year, to be free, fair, and widely acceptable. “Yet, the procedure for conducting the election has not been finalised,” he remarked.
Parwar pointed out that “even the legal framework of the July Charter and the mechanism for its execution remain unsettled. Under such circumstances, unveiling this roadmap appears flawed and one-sided.”
He further argued, “To honour the spirit of the July revolution and restore democracy in the country, the roadmap should have been declared only after ensuring a legal foundation for the July Charter and settling its implementation process.”
NCP wants legal framework of July Charter before polls : 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.
Earlier in the day, the Election Commission (EC) unveiled its roadmap for the 13th general elections, aiming to hold the vote in the first half of February next year, ahead of Ramadan.