2023 is important for the 12th National Parliament elections. The schedule will be announced at the end of this year. For this purpose, the Election Commission is the last hope. However, commotion of election spread in the field recently. Some allies of the ruling party said that there may not be parliamentary elections this time.
On the other hand, BNP is in the field with a 10-point series of programs demanding the resignation of the government and elections under a neutral government.
However, the Awami League will not break the leadership and the ground, and the election will be held under Sheikh Hasina. In this situation, the world is paying attention to the twelfth parliamentary elections which will be held in 2024. Yesterday, representatives of 11 European Union countries assigned to Bangladesh held a meeting with the EC at the Agargaon election building in the capital. Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said that they have come to know how our election preparations are going. We have notified them about our electoral roles. Election Participatory Contestants have informed them. We have clarified whether we have initiatives or not and our current position. We said we are ready. We are moving forward according to our road. We are preparing and we will hold elections on time. He also said that the electoral environment is not entirely conducive due to differences of opinion. However, we expressed hope that soon these differences will be resolved and all political parties will come to the polls. But it could not said anything for sure. We have said that if the election is participatory, it will be a good contest.
The first session of the 11th National Parliament began on January 30, 2019. As such, there is a constitutional obligation to complete the 12th National Parliament election by January 29, 2024. Leaders and activists of the ruling party say that 2023 will be a stressful year for Bangladesh economically. And there is a fear that the effect of the conflict between the superpowers will fall in the next national parliament elections. As a result, it is not uncommon for people to become dissatisfied with the government. Leaders and activists have been instructed to communicate with the people and present the real causes of the recession before them.
The Election Commission and Awami League are moving forward with the roadmap for organizing the 12th National Parliament elections in the last week of December this year or the first week of January next year. As a result, the ruling party has started preparing the party before this. With a strong message to central leaders, Sheikh Hasina said that the upcoming elections will be acceptable and competitive.
However, BNP has no focus on elections. Although the BNP has not yet decided whether it will participate in the next national elections, the party has made 10-point demands, including the resignation of the government, the dissolution of the national parliament and bringing the system of caretaker government, at the Golapbagh ground in the capital on December 10. In this way, the program of human chains, long marches, mass hunger strikes and rallies may come again. Moreover, it is said that a strict program including siege and blockade of the Prime Minister`s office is being considered. Various ways are also being thought of to create pressure on the government. The group leading the simultaneous movement will decide the pace and nature of the movement by understanding the situation.
Awami League presidium member Kazi Zafar Ullah said, "Sheikh Hasina has already announced that this year`s election will be free and fair." This election will be 100 percent acceptable to everyone. He said in the meeting of our party`s policy-making stage, if necessary, I will go to the opposition party. Although many people took such a big announcement lightly, we party leaders took the matter very seriously. `
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that Awami League came to power by stealing votes in 2014 and 2018. Now again the advantage of vote theft is tightening. They are thinking of stealing votes again with new ideas and new commissions. Our word is clear - there will be no elections under this government. We will not go to the election either. A new election commission should be formed under a caretaker or neutral government.
However, Dilip Barua, General Secretary of Bangladesh Samyabadi Dal, a member of the 14-party alliance led by the ruling Awami League, said, "Whether or not there will be an election, this is also a big factor. The national and international elections may not be held on time. In the context that has been created in Bangladesh in the future, there is a limitation of a fair election.
After meeting with 11 countries yesterday, the CEC said that the European Union wants to cooperate in monitoring the elections. As we have said, elections are covered by media personnel and observers in the past too. Everything will be opened from our side even during the next election. We will not interfere. As per our policy regarding foreign observers, if they apply to us, we will send them to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The issue needs to be addressed bilaterally.
In response to the question whether the Election Commission has asked any party for political dialogue or not, CEC said, what I have told them, we have said several times from the Election Commission that dialogue between political parties is necessary. Agreement is required between them. So that the election is held in a fair environment. We have been making this application since the beginning.
They said the prime minister had publicly said she would allow foreign observers in the election. After foreign delegates’ meeting with her, they were happy to get such an assurance. We are also happy. If foreign observers watch the election, then the foreigners will also see that our election was fair and beautiful. We are not sure about EVM
In the exchange of views, the representatives of the European Union wanted to know about the EVM, CEC said, they also asked questions about the EVM. We are still not sure about EVM. Because we are not sure now whether EVMs will be level or not and how many EVMs we can use in elections.
Everyone wants participatory and fair elections: EU
EU Head of Delegation Charles Whiteley said that the European Union (EU) has no recommendations regarding the upcoming 12th National Parliament elections. Charles made this comment to reporters after the meeting with the Election Commission (EC) at the election building.
He said, we had a meeting with the EC from the EU mission. We had extensive discussions with the commission regarding the election. It has made further progress since the last meeting in July last year. The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) has welcomed us to speak to the foreign mission, which is very important. EU wants to send observers to national elections. EC is positive on this. We think there is an opportunity to discuss more technical and operational issues in the work and progress of the EC. Responding to a question, the EU official said, "During the meeting we had more discussions on the preparation of the EC for the elections." Everyone wants a participatory election. Peaceful and fair elections. Hence we have not made any recommendation to the EC. They will do their job.
Election Commissioner with CEC Alamgir and Election Commissioner Anisur Rahman, EC Secretary and other senior officials were present. The delegation led by European Union Ambassador Charles Whiteley included European Union Deputy Head of Mission Brend Spiner, Denmark`s Ambassador Uni Strap Peterson, Sweden`s Ambassador Alexander Berg Bonn, Germany`s Ambassador Achim Toster, Kingdom of Ambassador of the Netherlands Annie Girard van Lewin, Deputy Head of Mission of France Guillaume Adrien de Kerdel, Deputy Head of Mission of Italy Mattia Ventura, Head of Mission of Spain Ignacio Siles Fernandez, Ambassador of Switzerland Nathalie Chuard, Ambassador of Norway Espen Richter Sevendsen and others were in the meeting.
We are in a strict position to make the election fair - EC Habib: In another event, Election Commissioner Brigadier General Md. Ahsan Habib Khan said, we are in a strict position to make the elections fair. All elections in Bangladesh will be fair and impartial. The election commission is vigilant so that no one can raise a finger about the vote. He said that every journalist`s camera is the eyes of the election commission in monitoring the election.
When asked about the related issues, security analyst Major General (retd.) Abdur Rasheed told Daily Post, "Every country has some internal issues in diplomatic matters. It is not desirable for other countries to interfere in them in any way. And we have always seen these things happen when there is political division. Then some politicians told foreigners some of the internal secrets of Bangladesh. This is a very bad sign. They provide all kinds of support to put pressure on the ruling political party. Recently we have seen foreigners talking about Bangladesh elections as human rights violations. This means that some documents of these irregularities have reached them. So they are speaking with emphasis. This is by no means a good thing.`
JH
