Next elections under AL govt, says Ashraful

Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Isalm and others hold copies of ‘Bangalir Hridayer Frame e Jatir Pita’ at its launching at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka on Friday. — New Age photo

The ruling Awami League general secretary, Syed Ashraful Islam, on Friday said that the next general elections would be held under the incumbent government in line with the constitution.

Ashraful, also the public administration minister, hoped that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, would not repeat the same mistake she made by not participating the last parliament election under the then government.
He made the statement replying to reporters’ queries following a book launching programme of Juba League at Shilpakala Academy.
The BNP has been on the streets since the amendment to the constitution made by the government in 2011 scrapping the provisions for the election-time caretaker government, pressing for national polls under a non-party government.
About the BNP’s stance on the caretaker government issue, Ashraful said that he was not sure if the BNP and its allies had moved away from the issue of caretaker government.
With Juba League chairman Omar Faruque Chowdhury in the chair, the meeting
was also addressed, among others, by Eden College principal Hosne Ara, Juba League general secretary Harunur Rashid and former Chhatra League president HM Badiuzzaman Sohag.
Ashraful hoped that next general elections scheduled for 2019 would be free, fair and
neutral under the Awami League government and said that there would be opportunity for all political parties contest the election under the constitution.

Source: New Age