Date:21/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/21/stories/2008112157771700.htm

International

Lift Emergency before polls: BNP

Haroon Habib

DHAKA: The four-party alliance led by the former Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia, has criticised the caretaker government for not rescheduling the December 18 election. However, it has not announced its decision to boycott it after the government announced the election would be held as scheduled.

On Wednesday, a government spokesman said the government had considered to defer the election to December 28 and “upazila” polls to January 8. But it decided to stick to the schedule since the major parties had failed to reach consensus.

The rescheduling was considered following Ms. Zia’s 48-hour ultimatum to the government to come up with a fresh poll schedule. The deadline ended Wednesday.

However, the deadline to file nominations has been pushed back three days to November 23. Hours before the government’s announcement, Chief Election Commissioner A.T.M. Shamsul Huda said the Election Commission was ready to hold the election on December 28 if all parties to agreed on the date.

The BNP-led alliance, including the Jamaat-E-Islami, termed the announcement “unilateral” and “unacceptable.”

On Thursday, after a meeting chaired by Ms. Zia, the BNP alleged the government was trying to exclude the alliance from the election. When asked whether the alliance would take part in the polls, he said: “We are closely observing the situation.”

The alliance also demanded the government lift the Emergency. “An election under Emergency cannot be free and fair. The four-party alliance will not go for such an election, nor will it be acceptable to the people.”

Meanwhile, the former Prime Minister and Awami League president, Sheikh Hasina, said her party and its allies wanted all parties to take part in the election. A majority of the political parties, including the League-led 14-party alliance and the Jatiya Party, preferred holding the election on December 18. They say the sooner the polls are held the better it would be for the transition to a multi-party democracy.

Also, Ms. Hasina and H. M. Ershad, former President and Jatiya Party chief, have formed an electoral alliance. The announcement came after a meeting between Mr. Ershad and Ms. Hasina at the latter’s residence on Tuesday. “We’ ll participate in the election and form government together,” said Mr. Ershad.