When will Tarique Rahman return to the country? When will Jamaat-e-Islami get election commission registration? Will the toppled Awami League be able to participate in the election or not?
These questions have not been settled as yet, but the political parties are already heating up the election arena. Some feel that the sooner the election is held, the better. Others feel that if there is a delay in holding the election, they will get a chance to organise their party.
The question is, when will the election be held? Will the national election be given priority or the local government elections?
It has been learnt that the interim government is preparing with a December deadline. In an interview given to the UAE-based media outlet, The National, the interim government chief advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus said on Thursday that he hopes the national election will be held in December this year. He said the same to a Japanese TV channel earlier.
The chief advisor has left the matter of reforms and elections to a consensus about political parties and the civil society. Where Bangladesh’s political parties do not see eye to eye on any issue, the question remains as to whether they will actually reach a consensus regarding the election schedule or the scope of reforms.
When Awami League had been in power, BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami had been in consensus on almost all issues. After Awami League lost power and exited from the political scene, BNP and Jamaat have been unable to agree on almost any issue. They are hurling accusations at each other.
BNP demands that first and foremost the election must be held. Jamaat said that it is more important to hold the local government elections first.
The Jatiya Nagorik Committee, formed by the students, also maintains that the local government polls should take place first. A leader of this organisation has said, even of BNP blocks the way to local elections, they will not be able to hold the national elections. After calling for student union elections in February, everyone is now silent. It is doubtful whether student union elections will be held during the term of this government.
In this backdrop, whether the meeting called by the National Consensus Commission on Saturday will be able to reassure the people or not, depends to a great extent on the political parties. If they reach a consensus, it will not be difficult to take a decision on the election. But what if they do not reach a consensus?
We will take these recommendations and go to all the political parties and civil society and asked which one they would like to implement now, which one they would like to implement in the future and which one they don’t want to implement at all.
Chief advisor Dr Muhammad Yunus in an interview with the UAE-based The National
Meeting with the chief advisor, BNP leaders urged for the election to be held soon. They called upon the election commission. The Jamaat leaders also called upon the election commission and handed in their demands. In the meantime, both BNP and Jamaat have been holding meetings with their front organisations to strengthen their respective sides. The Daily Star’s headlines read, “BNP, Jamaat on collision course.”
The report said, “The BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami now seem to be poles apart over when the local and parliamentary elections should be held and the proportional representation system in the House. The fact that their relationship is strained became clear as day last week when the parties took opposing stances on the timing of the polls and on proportional representation.”
The demand for proportional representation first came from the left-leaning parties. Next Jatiya Party also echoed this demand. When the interim government formed several commissions for state reforms, the issue of proportional representation was highlighted further. But BNP has made it clear that they will not accept this new system. Neither the constitution reform commission for the electoral reform commission has made any strong proposal to this end.
The constitutional reform commission has spoken of proportional representation in the Upper House. The electoral reform commission has quoted a survey, saying 90 per cent of the people want local government elections before the national election. Now if it is decided at the National Consensus Commission meeting to hold the national elections first, will we then take it that is goes against 90 per cent of the people?
On 1 August 2013 the Supreme Court cancelled Jamaat-e-Islami’s registration. In 2018 they contested in the election under BNP’s electoral symbol of the sheaf of paddy. They did not take part in the elections of 2014 and 2024. If they are to contest in the election as a party, they will need their registration to be restored. Jamaat leaders hope to get back their registration soon.
One of the major hindrances to BNP’s participating in the election is the inability of party acting chairman Tarique Rahman to return to the country. And Jamaat’s main hindrance is not having registration. After the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August, BNP leaders had said their leader would return to the country soon. However, it has been six months since the interim government took over and there is still no good news.
Speaking to The National, the chief advisor said, “We will take these recommendations and go to all the political parties and civil society and asked which one they would like to implement now, which one they would like to implement in the future and which one they don’t want to implement at all.” The government has formally invited the political parties for a meeting where they will express their views. But how will the civil society express their views. A section of the civil society is part of the government. Will they be able to adopt a stand? Secondly, will the civil society outside of the government had the scope to play a role? Even more importantly, will the political parties be able to reach a consensus?
Jamaat has called for the local government elections to be held first. That is because the will be no need for party symbol. There will be no need for registration either. And the reason why the Jatiya Nagorik Committee wants the local government election to be held first is that it will give them time to organise their proposed party. There is possibility of them drawing in candidates who have not found place in other parties. A leader of the Nagorik Committee has, in the meantime, left his party position to become administrator of Dhaka North City, giving rise to questions concerning the government’s neutrality.
While other parties have not spoken out loud, it hardly seems they have strong views on any issue. Their main aim it reaching an understanding for the national election and seat sharing, as well as consolidating their own strength. As BNP has called for the national election to be followed by a national government, there will be no obstruction to their joining that national government.
It must be kept in mind that the interim government did not come to power on the votes of the people. The July-August uprising took place as a result of people’s rage, not having been able to vote in three consecutive elections. And this government is the result of that uprising.
The government that came to power after 1/11 of 2007 had political ambitions. They wanted to consolidate their power. They held local government elections to strengthen their base. Previously, in the seventies and the eighties, two military rulers had done the same. As this government has no political ambitions, they can consider whether there is any need at all to go for other elections before holding the national parliamentary polls.
* Sohrab Hassan is joint editor of Prothom Alo and a poet
* This column appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir
