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Govt given 48 hours to meet 4 demands

Khaleda warns govt, EC of ‘sloppy polls without 4-party

Staff Correspondent
BNP-led four-part)' alliance yesterday issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the caretaker government to meet its four- point demand in order to make way for its participation in the upcoming general election. .
The four demands, cut short from the alliance’s earlier seven-point demand, are total lifting of the state of emergency, suspension of some 'objectionable' clauses in the amended Representation of the People Order (RPO) including repeal of clause J 1(e), deferring the December 28 upazila elections till one month from the parliamentary poll, and rescheduling of the polls ensuring that the hajis will get to cast their votes.
' BNP and the four-party alliance are declaring that they will contest in the upcom ing elections if the government meets this four-point demand within the next 18 hours.* said BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at a news briefing in her Gulshan office around 9:00pm. ,
"If they don’t meet the demands within the next 48 hours, and if the elections become uncertain due to that, then the government and the Election Commission have to bear total responsibility," Khaleda warned.
The last hajj flight however is due to return on January 12. according to Bangladesh Biman Managing Director Air Commodore (retd) Zahed Kuddus.
The former prime minister specifically demanded repeal of the clause 91 (e) of RPO, which empowers the Election Commission (EC) to cancel candidacies during elections based on complaints.
.Alliance insiders said the BNP leadership sent the demands to the military backed caretaker government earlier yesterday.
Meanwhile, sources said a government adviser already spoke to Awami League (AL)
President Sheikh Hasina about the demands of the four-party alliance, and Hasina agreed to three out of the four demands, saying 'the election must be held according to the announced schedule'.
In her briefing, Khelda accused the EC of trying to hold a 'sloppy election'. "They have made a healthy election uncertain," Khaleda said adding, the EC's incompetence and favouritism are to be blamed for the uncertainty.
She said two parties out of the four in BNP-led alliance are yet to be registered by the EC.
"The announcement for holding the election on December 18 with such ill preparation is nothing but deceiving the nation," she added.
Earlier, the BNP-led alliance had issued a seven-point demand including demands for lifting the emergency, scrapping of the amendments to RPO, repeal of the redemarcation of constituencies, and deferment of the upazila elections.
But in the last two days it readjusted its position considering overwhelming public opinion in favour of holding the election as soon as possible, and also due to enormous pressure from donor countries.
The alliance is also trying to persuade some foreign diplomats to agree with it on deferring the parliamentary poll at least for a month, and to spark an initiative to that end.
Highly placed sources said some middle-eastern countries are trying to persuade both AL and the government to agree to defer the poll date for a month, so that BNP and its allies do contest in it.
As a part of the initiative, BNP urged the government to defer the poll date till return of the last Hajj flight.
Meanwhile, various levels of the four-party alliance met separately in a series of meetings yesterday discussing different scenarios that might arise if they end up boycotting the elections in December.
Jamaat-e Islami's majlish-e-sura and BNP's standing committee, the highest policy
making forums of the parties, held separate meetings headed by the party chiefs, followed by a meeting of top alliance leaders in Khaleda's Gulshan office.