Ershad happy to have Hasina as President

Jatiya Party chief Hussein Muhammad Ershad on Tuesday said his party would have no objection if Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was elected as the President.

Parliament Speaker Abdul Hamid has been discharging duties as the Acting President after Zillur Rahman passed away on Mar 20.

The Constitution stipulates the election of a new president within Jun 19. Several names have come up as possible candidates for the post.

“Rumours suggest that Prime Minister herself may take up the responsibility. We (the Jatiya Party) will have no objection in participating in the next general election if she (Sheikh Hasina) becomes the President,” Ershad said at a discussion in Dhaka.

The opposition alliance has already said they want a ‘neutral person’ to hold the post.

Activists of the Jaitya Party, a key ally of the ruling coalition, had hoped that the deposed military dictator would be made President after the alliance was elected to power. But their hopes ended in smoke.

Ershad said he would not mind becoming President again.

“I don’t have lust for power. I have one goal and that is to present the people with a pure democracy,” Ershad, who was ousted through a mass uprising in 1990, said

“I came to power through marshall law and later formed a political party. I let go of my power for the sake of democracy,” the former dictator said adding that “today democracy is at risk.”

He feared the BNP-led anti-government agitation was leading the country towards uncertainty.

He said the Jatiya Party has to leave the ruling coalition and asked his supporters to be patient. “We will inform you of a decision soon”, he said.

“The whole country is looking towards us (Jatiya Party). We are the controlling force, the country’s guardians. Everything is resting on us. There will be no election without us, the Constitution will not survive,” the former military strongman said.