The BNP believes the Awami League general secretary’s remarks about not having elections before 2019 reflect a view that the ruling party wants a one-party rule in Bangladesh.
“What is understood from Syed Ashraf’s statement is that they want to stage another drama of an election without any other party and form the government,” the BNP’s acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters on Thursday.
“The statement makes it clear that they want to bring back one-party rule to the country.”
At the meeting of the ruling party’s Central Working Committee on Wednesday, Syed Ashraf had said his party had no intention to leave power before its constitutional tenure ended on Jan 28, 2019.
The 15th Amendment to the Constitution cancelled the caretaker government system, and consequently the 10th national elections were held with the Awami League still in power.
The BNP refused to contest the ballot under a partisan government and has been demanding fresh polls under a non-party government.
Ashraf’s statement practically rejects this demand. However, Fakhrul said the people would never accept this ‘one-party’ rule.
He demanded fresh elections with the participation of all political parties ‘for the sake of the country and democracy”.
The Western world, including the US, have shown negative reactions to the elections. But Russia, China and India, among many other countries, recognised the election.
US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal, at the US Senate hearing on Tuesday, had warned that the ‘flawed’ national election of Jan 5 had put ‘strategically important’ Bangladesh at risk of instability and hoped for early elections.
“People did not accept the Jan 5 elections, neither did the world. They have called for a free and fair election,” Fakhrul said.
The US position had strengthened BNP’s demands, the BNP spokesperson said.
“We stand for the truth. People did not take part in the comedy election. The US and other countries have admitted that it was not an election,” he said.
Source: Bd news24