The ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) has rejected outright Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia’s call for holding the next general elections under a non-partisan neutral government.
“The polls will be held under the election commission, not under a partisan government. Like other democratic countries, the incumbent government will only assist the commission to hold the elections in a free, fair and credible manner,” said AL general secretary Obaidul Quader on Sunday.
Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, came up with the remarks while replying to a volley of questions from newsmen about Khaleda’s call, at AL president Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi political office in the capital in the evening, immediately after Khaleda had made the call.
Addressing a huge public gathering at the capital’s Suhrawardy Udyan, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia said no fair election will be held under prime minister and AL president Sheikh Hasina.
About Khaleda’s demand for army deployment with magistracy power in general elections, the AL general secretary said, “It totally depends on the election commission — whether or not to deploy the army with magistracy power in the next polls.”
“I think BNP wants an engineered election like that of 2001, but the nation doesn’t want to see such elections in the country anymore,” he said.
Source: Prothom Alo.
