AL, BNP stick to stances on polls-time govt
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Khosru said they informed the EU delegation that the people will not be able to cast their votes and elect their representatives through an election under the current regime.
“These things are as clear as the daylight. Everyone knows these.
“There’s also no democratic environment here … There is no level-playing field in Bangladesh, where people have no democratic, constitutional, and political rights. So, a proper atmosphere has to be created first and then the question of dialogue will come.”
The BNP leader said they discussed all the issues, including BNP’s position on the election, their demands, and the current political situation with the EU delegation.
The EU delegation met the AL leaders at a Banani hotel at 12:00pm, where the ruling party told them that holding a free, fair and peaceful election is possible under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina without making any changes to the current structure of the government.
“The European Union wants free, fair and peaceful elections in Bangladesh and we have told them that this is also the commitment of the Awami League,” AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader said, briefing reporters after the meeting.
“The delegation did not discuss the issue of dialogue. The delegation did not even talk about caretaker government or dissolution of parliament,” said Quader, adding that the EU wanted the election to be held in accordance with the constitution, sovereignty and legal system of Bangladesh.
“Like other countries around the world, Bangladesh will form a polls-time government under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina. There is no question of dissolving parliament or resignation of the government or forming a caretaker government,” he said.
During its meeting, the Jatiya Party told the EU delegation that JP and the country’s people want a free, fair, and neutral election.
“The Awami League and BNP both placed their one-point demand. BNP wants the government to resign while Awami League wants the election to be held under Sheikh Hasina. Our one-point demand is a fair election,” party Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu told reporters after its meeting at a party leader’s house in Gulshan.
The JP also told the EU team that the Election Commission and the government need to play the biggest role for holding a credible election.
Chunnu said JP thinks the current political problem can be resolved through talks and the government should initiate the dialogue.
Jamaat-e-Islami stressed the need for a level-playing field during its meeting with the EU team at the office of the European Union.
“We told them [EU] if the election is held under a neutral non-partisan government, then it is welcome, and if the election is held under this government, then it would not be appropriate for the delegates to come [to observe the election],” he said.
Amar Bangladesh Party, which was founded in 2020 with a group of reformists and activists of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (AB Party), also met the EU delegation yesterday. They told them that free, fair, and credible election is not possible without a non-partisan election-time government.
In a statement on the meeting, the party demanded restoration of the caretaker system to ensure a free, fair, participatory, and acceptable elections.