No consensus among political parties, Govt to hold polls as scheduled
November 20, 2008
Removing all confusions and uncertainty, the caretaker government on Wednesday made its stand clear that parliamentary and upazila elections will be held on December 18 and December 28 respectively as per previous schedule.
Hasina-Ershad meeting held, seat sharing yet undecided
November 19, 2008
Awami League President Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said parliamentary election must be held on December 18 and it cannot be extended by even a single day to meet the demands of a certain political party.
14-party against any new schedule: Menon
November 18, 2008
Workers Party of Bangladesh president Rashed Khan Menon, in reaction to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s 48-hour ultimatum on Monday, said the Dec 18 election “must be held on schedule.”
Bangladesh Election 2008: Democracy of the other kind
November 17, 2008
For last several weeks, we have been watching marathon dialogues, meetings and negotiations by the Ambassadors/High Commissioners (in Bangladesh) of at least 23 countries with the Presidents-owners of Awami League and BNP, Mrs. Hasina Wajed and Mrs. Khaleda Zia. All these foreign diplomats imbued with ideas of constructive engagements have been making unremitting trips, trying to administer pills of civilized democracy to our two national “Role Models”.
AL finalises list for 300 seats
November 16, 2008
Awami League’s nomination in some 300 electoral constituencies, for the forthcoming general election slated for December 18, is at the final stage but it would not be officially disclosed just now. According to sources, immediately after forging the ‘electoral mega alliance’,
Khaleda ready to sit with Hasina for unconditional talks: MK Anwar
November 15, 2008
BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia is ready to sit with Awami League President Sheikh Hasina anytime, anywhere to discuss the latest political situation and election but the talks should be freed from any pre-condition.
Both CG, EC should quit if polls not held by Dec 31: Akbar Ali
November 12, 2008
Regulatory Reforms Commission (RRC) Chairman Dr Akbar Ali Khan on Tuesday said the present caretaker government and the Election Commission both should quit on moral grounds if they fail to hold the overdue general election by this yearend.
Dr Khan, also an adviser of the abortive previous caretaker government, also opined that the Election Commission could sue the present caretaker government if it (government) created hurdles on way to holding the polls.
“Holding election is the duty of the election commission, not the duty of the government. The election commission has to hold the election within the timeframe notwithstanding any barrier coming from government side,” he said.
“The election commission can go to the court if it feels that the government is putting barricades,” Dr Khan told reporters after holding a meeting of the RRC in the Board of Investment (BoI) meeting room.
To underpin his opinion he referred to the case of the Indian election commission that had filed a case in the past against the government on the same grounds.
The chief of the constitutional watchdog body on the country’s rules and regulations said there is no alternative way to the election commission as per the Constitution but to hold election within a specific timeframe after preparing the voter list. Election has to be held within 90 of publication of the voter list, he said in this context.
“If the election commission failed to hold the election by Dec 31, question will be raised against the government for their legality,” he said. Dr Khan said that the present caretaker government has got its legal ground till now although it is “undemocratic”. But if it fails to hold the election by Dec 31, then it will “lose its legal ground to be in power”.
“Till now, it (the present caretaker government) is under a framework under the constitution, but after Dec 31 it will be so much nude that no logic will be applicable for them,” he said, at a time when dilemmas over the polls again intensified.
About the participation of the two major political parties in the elections, he said “it is the headache of the caretaker government to bring them in the fray, not the duty of the election commission. They (election commission) will just hold the polls.”
But, the RRC chairman said, if any major political parties of the country don’t participate in the election, they would be affected.
“The certain political party will weaken, the extremists in the political party take the chance to establish their supremacy over the party,” he said.
Both the former ruling parties-Awami League and BNP-are reeling from a purge on the political arena following the 1/11 changeover that had landed their chiefs and leaders in jail.
The former is willing to go to the polls set for Dec 18, but the latter made their participation conditional to realizing their 7-point demand.
The RRC from today’s meeting suggested the government to audit a firm that will come to the joint stock for registration to avoid foot dragging.
A committee was also formed in this connection and they would submit their findings in next one month.
Source: The Bangladesh Today
Four-party alliance to stage nationwide protests
November 11, 2008
The four-party alliance has announced nationwide demonstrations over the arrest of BNP leader M Saifur Rahman and Jamaat-e-Islami leaders Matiur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mojaheed.
The alliance headed by the BNP also asked authorities to meet their seven-point charter of demands.
BNP chief Khaleda Zia presided an alliance meeting on Monday evening before the BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain announced the programme.
“The alliance wants to go to the polls but only after its demands are met. And the people will not accept the conspiracy to hold the election without the four-party alliance taking part in it.”
The meeting condemned the arrest of the leaders accused in the Barapukuria coalmine graft case.
A special court ordered Jamaat chief Nizami and secretary general Mojaheed and former finance minister Saifur into jail.
“The court could not function properly and the judges could not do justice under the emergency law,” Delwar alleged.
“This is the reason why we demand lifting of emergency under which fair elections also won’t be possible.”
He also accused the Election Commission of bias.
“Fair polls under this Election Commission are impossible,” Delwar.
The BNP secretary general also criticised the appointments of new vice-chancellor, pro-VC and treasurer at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.
Present at the meeting, among others, were BNP joint secretary general Nazrul Islam Khan, Jamaat leaders M Kamaruzzaman, Abdul Kader Molla, ATM Azharul Islam and Rafiqul Islam Khan, Islami Oikyo Jote leader Abdul latif Nezami, Khelafat Majlish chairman Maulana Muhammad Ishaque, Bangladesh Jatiya Party chairman Andalib Rahman and secretary general Shameem Al Mamun.
Earlier in the day, Jamaat-e-Islami on Monday announced a nationwide five-day programme from Tuesday demanding release of its chief and secretary general.
The programme includes nationwide protest rallies and submission of memorandums to the chief adviser and deputy commissioners on Nov. 16.
Announcing the programme at party’s central office at Moghbazar, acting secretary general Mohammad Quamaruzzaman bridled at the “inhuman” arrest of ailing Saifur.
He said the government was sympathetic to “one party” and adopted hostile attitudes towards the BNP-led four-party alliance.
“Now its clear that the government wants to set that party in power,” he added.
Quamaruzzaman said despite a petition pending with the High Court, the bail of the alliance leaders was not considered by the special court, which indicates the government’s lack of willingness in arranging the election by creating a favourable environment.
By Monday’s arrests “the government added another point to the alliance’s already announced seven-point demand”, which the government had pledged to meet, the acting secretary general said.
The government conspiracy against the four-party becomes clear when, Quamaruzzaman said – referring indirectly to Awami League president Sheikh Hasina – “one leader” was cleared of charges in final report but the government managed to press charges against the alliance leaders by “changing law”.
Source: bdnews24
EC recasts schedules for polls, but not poll dates
November 10, 2008
A day after Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman ruled out announcement of a fresh schedule, the Election Commission (EC) has rearranged the schedules for both ninth parliamentary and third upazilla elections keeping the polling date unchanged.
Commerce Adviser rules out announcement of fresh poll schedule
November 9, 2008
Commerce Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman on Saturday ruled out any possibility of announcing fresh schedule for the long stalled-ninth parliamentary and upazilla polls slated for December 18 and 28 respectively. In a sideline after attending a function in city’s BRAC center yesterday morning, the Commerce Adviser remarked.