A German delegation has questioned the acceptability of Bangladesh’s national election held on Jan 5 this year and asked for interim polls, says BNP Vice-chairman Shamser Mobin Chowdhury.
He said the parliamentary delegation, led by Dagmar G Woehrl, revealed the country’s position at a meeting with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan office on Tuesday evening.
After the meeting, SHamsher Mobin told reporters: “(Woehrl ) has said that the low turnout of voters in Jan 5 elections has made the poll results questionable.”
He quoted the German delegation leader as saying that Bangladeshi people had to determine the polls method and time.
The BNP leader said the delegation expressed the hope that a free and fair election would be held soon through dialogues among the political parties to bring peace to the people of Bangladesh.
He quoted Khaleda as telling the delegation: “The people have rejected the Jan 5 polls. The parliament Speaker and Leader of the Opposition have been elected without any voting.”
“Unrest is prevailing in the country. To bring back stability, dialogues and elections are needed, through which democracy will return,” the BNP chief was further quoted as saying.
Earlier, the delegation members visited the site of collapsed Rana Plaza at Savar on the outskirts of Dhaka City. They paid homage to those killed in the incident and talked to the survivors.
Rana Plaza crashed on Apr 24 last year, leaving over 1,135 people, mostly workers of five readymade garment factories housed in the building, dead.
The delegates also met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Parliament Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.
The delegation is supposed to leave Dhaka on Wednesday night.
BNP Chairperson’s Advisers Reaz Rahman and Sabih Uddin Ahmed were also present at the meeting.
Source: Bd news24