Chief election commissioner KM Nurul Huda addresses a press conference over Election Commission-hosted pre-polls talks with different stakeholders at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital on Thursday. — Ali Hossain Mintu
Chief election commissioner KM Nurul Huda on Thursday reiterated that Bangladesh Nationalist Party founder Ziaur Rahman restored multi-party democracy in the country after 1975.
The chief election commissioner said he owns the remarks which he had delivered on Ziaur Rahman during the Election Commission-hosted pre-polls talks with the party.
Nurul Huda was addressing a post-dialogue press conference at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital.
There was no democracy in the country after 1975, he said.
Ziaur Rahman restored multi-party democracy through election in 1979, the CEC reiterated.
Earlier on October 15, during dialogue with Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the CEC in his introductory speech had lauded BNP founder Ziaur Rahman as restorer of multi-party democracy in the country, which stirred commotion among different quarters.
On October 18, leaders of the ruling Awami League, during its talks with the EC, requested the CEC and other commissioners to refrain from making any political comments that would create controversy.
Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, who led the party delegation in the dialogue, in a written speech said that Ziaur Rahman grabbed power illegally, introduced autocratic rule and destroyed all institutions including the parliament.
Source: New Age
