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EC studies emergency rules to know how those can affect polls

Staff Correspondent
With the demand for withdrawal ot the state of emergency before the next parliamentary polls growing. Chief Election Commissioner (CEO ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said general elections were held under martial laws in 1970.1979 and 1986.
"Many people are referring to these facts. I am only saying that elections were held in Bangladesh in situations of restrictions in the past.’ he said replying to a query at a press briefing.
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In Pakistan period, the historic general elections of 1970 were held under martial laws. And in Bangladesh, two parliamentary polls -second and third were held during the military rule of Ziaur Rahman and HM Ershad.
Questions have risen in public minds now whether the stalled ninth parliamentary polls will be held during the state of emergency since the army-backed caretaker government is yet to announce any timeframe for lifting the emergency, declared on January 11,2007 suspending the January 22 general elections.
"We arc not saying we want this (emergency). We want to examine the circumstances when the elections were held under martial laws so that we can reply to any queries by the chief adviser when we meet him," the CEC said.
"The Election Commission (EC) is yet to decide its strategy for asking the government to create an atmosphere conducive for holding polls," said Shamsul Huda.
Earlier on TYiesday last, he said they are now studying the rules and regulations formulated during the state of emergency to know how those can affect holding the parlia mentary election.
The CEC avoided a reply when asked whether he still sticks to his earlier stance on revoking the state of emergency before the parliamentary polls.
He however allowed Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain, who was also present at the briefing, to answer the query.
"We will ask the government to create a congenial atmosphere for holding the parliamentary polls. The government will decide whether it will lift the state of emergency or relax it to create such an atmosphere," Sakhawat said.
In between October and November last year, the CEC on several occasions said the state of emergency must be lifted before the elections since polls cannot be
held under it. He also said the EC would ask the government in early January (this month) to withdraw the state of emergency in five divisional headquarters so that the long due elections to the five city corporations could be held in April.
But towards the end of December, he started saying that the EC will ask the caretaker government one and a half months before the city corporations polls to create an atmosphere conducive for holding the elections by lifting or relaxing the state of emergency.
Now, the CEC says the EC has not taken any decision on whether it will ask for lifting or relaxing the state of emergency for holding polls.
"We can at best ask the government to lift the state of emergency but it is the government who will decide it," he said. A newly appointed adviser has said the state of emergency will not be in force even for one hour more than needed, and the EC welcomes the remark, he added.
Shamsul Huda however said the commission had long ago asked the government to lift restrictions on indoor politics countrywide but the government did not respond, he said.
Since April last year, the EC repeatedly asked the caretaker government to lift restrictions on indoor politics so that it can hold electoral reforms talks with political parties. But the government allowed indoor politics only in Dhaka from September 10.
Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed in his January 12 address to the nation however said the government is considering withdrawal of restrictions on indoor politics countrywide. He also said the government will mull lifting or relaxing the state of emergency depending on the circumstances.
Political parties had earlier demanded only lifting restrictions on indoor politics countrywide but now they are demanding withdrawal of the state of emergency as soon as possible.