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Hasina Re-elected AL Chief, Ashraf Elected GS

Council empowers them to pick all other leaders

SHAKHAWAT LITON and HASAN JAHID TUSHER
Sheikh Hasina was elected the Awami League (AL) president for the sixth time while Syed Ashraful Islam was elected the general secretary for three years without any contest yesterday.
The AL national council that elected them also bestowed them with the authority to choose leaders for 45 posts in the ruling party's 73-member central working committee, the highest decisionmaking forum. The party constitution empowers the president to choose
remaining 26 members of the working committee.
The 45 posts include 13 members of the party Presidium--the highest policymaking body. 31 departmental secretaries including three joint general secretaries and seven organising secretaries, and a treasurer.
Moreover, the council delegated to Hasina the power to incorporate any further changes, if necessary, in the party's declaration and constitution that were ratified yesterday by it with amend ments, meeting die criteria for registration with the country's Election
Commission.
According to article 21 of the AL constitution, however, the president, presidium members, general secretary, departmen tai secretaries, and the treasurer must be elected by the triennial council.
Contacted by The Daily Star yesterday over the phone, the council's chief election commissioner MA Mannan said the council's election commission was ready to hold elections to other posts, but nobody filed for candidacy.
"We even received a proposal from a councillor to empower the newly elected president and general secretary to choose leaders for the rest of the posts. The councillors unanimously delegated their power to the president and general secretary,’ Mannan said.
Mannan however could not remember the name of the councillor who placed the proposal during the election.
But talking to The Daily Star, a number of councillors said the Section commission itself said the newly elected president and the general secretary will decide whether they will now announce the names of other officebearers.
The councillors agreed with the commission's proposal by raising their hands. Hasina said she will form the committee in consultation with Ashraf, son of the country's first president Syed Nazrul Islam. Ashraf had been acting as the general secretary of the party for the last two years and played a crucial role for the party after the 1/11 political changeover.
Hasina said the new committee will be comprised of old and new leaders, sources said quoting her.
A provision of the Representation of the People Order (RPO) also says all committees of a registered political part)' must be elected.
When his attention was drawn to the RPO provision, Mannan said if the council, which is empowered by the party constitution to elect the leaders, delegate its power to the president and general > secretary to exercise its authority, then there is nothing wrong.
He said the president and general secretary’ will soon announce the names for the rest of the posts.
Talking to The Daily Star, a number of councillors attending the election session said at the beginning of the election, Hasina dissolved the central executive committee she had been heading since her reelection as the party chief by the last council held on December 26,2002.
Prior to her announcement, Hasina, also the country's prime minister, in her very brief speech said she did not want to seek re-election as the party chief.
'I’ve been working as the party chief for the last 28 years. I want to see new leadership and I will provide all out cooperation to them," Hasina was quoted as saying by a councillor.
But councillors did not agree with Hasina’s proposal and requested her not to quit the party's helm.
Hasina was first elected ^president of AL in 1980 while she was living abroad, and she returned home in 1981. She has been leading AL since then being re-elected the president foi he seventh time yesterday.
In fact, Hasina has been the chief of the 60-year old party for almost a half of its age.
As soon as Hasina left the election venue yesterday, the council election commission began the poll inviting candidacies for the post of the president first.
Deputy’ Leader ofParliamcnt Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury proposed Hasina’s name, who is also the leader of the parliament Agriculture Minister Malia Chowdhury immediately seconded Sajeda's proposal.
Within moments the EC declared Hasina as the uncontested re-elected president of AL without further seeking any candidacy, as about 5,000 councillors overwhelmingly supported her re-election, a number of councillors said.
Then, the EC moved to elect the general secretary and invited candidacies. /\L lawmaker Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim proposed the name of LGRD .Minister Syed Ashraful Islam Matia stood and said.
2 On I ,
am supporting the proposal."
Then the EC dedared Ashraf elected as the general secretary without any contest, seeking no more candidates for the post, the sources said.
At the closed-door session, the party's amended constitution and dedaration were also ratified, and its new budget for the next three years was approved by the council.
After the council that started at 10:30am ended at 5:00pm, some of the councillors, who had been cheering on the band -wagon of complacency during the session, were however seen and heard complaining about a lack of democracy in the process of electing the party leadership.