Jamaat submits 9 demands to EC
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has placed a nine-point set of demands before the Election Commission (EC), including cancellation of the contractual appointment of EC Secretariat Additional Secretary Mohammad Samsul Alam andreconsideration of a proposal to bar MPO-listed teachers from contesting local government elections.
A Jamaat delegation led by the party’s Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar met with the Election Commission on Wednesday and raised the demands.
After the meeting, Parwar briefed journalists on the issues discussed and questioned the EC’s ability to ensure a neutral electoral process.
Parwar said one of the main issues discussed was the appointment of Samsul Alam as an additional secretary at the EC. He alleged that Samsul had political affiliations and previously served as a member of the BNP’s constituency delimitation committee, which, he claimed, could affect the neutrality of elections.
The Jamaat leader said the EC informed them that it was unaware of Samsul Alam’s political involvement and that the appointment had been made by the government on a contractual basis.
However, Jamaat argued that the EC could have raised objections over the appointment, saying the commission’s response reflected a lack of authority and independence.
Jamaat also opposed the EC’s proposal to make MPO-listed teachers ineligible for local government elections. Parwar said teachers from schools and colleges had historically participated in local elections and that restricting their participation would violate citizens’ constitutional rights.
The party also demanded that office bearers of banned political parties be declared ineligible to contest local government elections. It further sought disqualification of political individuals currently serving as administrators in various local government institutions, arguing that their involvement could affect the fairness of elections.
Parwar alleged that appointing political figures as local government administrators could create an uneven playing field by allowing them to use their positions for electoral advantage.
He also criticised recent decisions by the EC regarding the timing of local government elections and the publication of a gazette recognising BNP candidate Sarwar Alamgir for the Chattogram-2 constituency on the same day the Supreme Court delivered a verdict. He alleged that the EC acted under political pressure.
Parwar said the EC is an independent constitutional institution with significant powers to ensure fair elections, but claimed that the commission itself had acknowledged its inability to fully exercise those responsibilities.
The Jamaat delegation included Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad, Central Publicity and Media Secretary Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair, central executive committee member Jasim Uddin Sarker and Shishir Mohammad Monir.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, along with Election Commissioners Abdur Rahmanel Masud and Tahmida Ahmed and EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, attended the meeting.
