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Polls after JS dissolution

PM tells Sangsad, rejects BNP's demand for caretaker govt system

SHAKHAWAT LITON and RASHIDUL HASAN
Adding to the prevailing political situation, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced in parliament yesterday that the next parliamentary election would be held after the dissolution of the Jatiya Sangsad.
“The polls will not be held by retaining the House.... When the time comes, I will meet the
president and tell him that we want election. It is the jurisdiction of the president to decide when parliament will be dissolved and whether the current cabinet will continue or its size will be reduced,” Hasina said.
"Such is the practice in the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy,” she said,
Polls after JS
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replying to a query from Jatiya Party MP Mujibul Haque.
The Election Commission will fix the election date in line with the president's directive, Hasina said, adding that the EC was now strong enough to hold free and fair elections.
Last year, the government amended the constitution through incorporating a rather strange provision for holding the polls within the last 90 days of an existing parliament, meaning without dissolving the House.
But if the JS is dissolved, as Hasina said it would be, then the election would be held within 90 days of its dissolution.
Last year's amendment triggered widespread criticism, with political parties (except for the ruling AL and some of its allies) and civil society members expressing concern that fair polls were not possible without dissolving parliament.
Otherwise, opposition leaders and experts argued, the incumbent MPs in that case would influence the election process.
The main opposition party, the BNP, has on several occasions said it will not take part in an election held under the incumbent government and demanded that the now-scrapped caretaker government system be reintroduced.
Although Hasina demonstrated a major shift from her previous stance through her yesterday's comment, she rejected the opposition's call for a non-partisan government.
“I have nothing to say if they don't remember the bitter experience of the past caretaker governments,” she said, "Is there any guarantee that they [caretaker government] will not oppress the people again?"
Defending the 1996 movement led by her party for introducing the caretaker system, Hasina, who also the AL president, said it was all for the sake of a free and fair election.
“Now the Election Commission is independent and strong enough to hold free and fair polls.”
According to her, following the December 2008 election people demanded that the caretaker system be abolished.
Since taking office in January 2009, the AL-led alliance government has held elections to 481 upazilas, 275 municipalities, 4,431 unions, two city corporations and by-polls to 12 constituencies, the premier said, adding that all these elections were free and fair.
“People were able to elect the candidates of their choice.... It proves that the democratic atmosphere conducive to free and fair elections has returned to the country during the Awami League-led grand alliance government. Therefore, there is no need for the caretaker government,” Hasina claimed.
People will lose their democratic rights if the system returns, she said, citing the example of the immediate past caretaker government that remained in power for almost two years since January 11,2007.
She also justified the 15th amendment to the constitution that scrapped the caretaker system, saying it was done in line with the recommendations of the parliamentary special committee.
Speaking against the system, Hasina said when the system was introduced in 1996, there was an abortive military coup right before the election that year.
But democracy was saved as the coup failed, she added.
In 2006, the then president lajuddin Ahmed triggered a controversy by appointing himself chief adviser of the caretaker government and by trying to hold elections with 1.23 crore fake voters on the voter roll, Hasina said.
She also portrayed a negative picture of the 2007-08 caretaker government led by Fakhruddin Ahmed.
The caretaker government system does not exist in democratic countries around the world, Hasina said, adding that democracies were run by elected people.