Polls must be held by Dec

The next national election must be held by December following necessary state reforms based on consensus, said leaders of the BNP and Gono Odhikar Parishad after a meeting yesterday.

They said if the interim government fails to announce a specific election timeline, it could lead to confusion and uncertainty, which would not bode well for the country.

A delegation of eight leaders from Gono Odhikar Parishad sat with three senior BNP leaders at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office, where both sides emphasised the urgency of concluding the reform process and moving towards the polls.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said all reform proposals have been submitted, and there is no reason to take more than a week to determine where consensus has been reached based on those proposals.

"After determining where consensus has been achieved, it is crucial to sign the national charter and declare the election date accordingly."

He further said, "Based on the consensus, we can decide, sign the national charter, and hold polls even before December. There is no question of going beyond December; rather it is possible to hold the election earlier."

Nurul Haque Nur, president of Gono Odhikar Parishad, said, "We believe that for the sake of democracy and national stability, the election must be held by December."

He added that since political parties already submitted written reform proposals to the National Consensus Commission, it is certainly possible to finalise a "July Charter" based on the agreed issues and proceed to election by December.

"In this regard, our position is clear -- as discussed with BNP and other parties -- the election must be held no later than December."

The BNP yesterday also held its first round of informal talks with leaders of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and the Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD), as part of its efforts to forge an all-party consensus on holding the next parliamentary election by December.

"We believe the election must be held before December. Any delay will only deepen the crisis," CPB General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince told this newspaper.

At the meeting, CPB former president Mujahidul Islam Selim, its President Shah Alam, and BSD General Secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz, CPB Joint General Secretary Mihir Ghosh and BSD Assistant General Secretary Razequzzaman Ratan were present.

BNP Liaison Committee was led by Amir Khasru.