Hasina affirms timely elections

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reaffirmed that the next parliament elections will be held in time.

She made the announcement at a rally held at Sylhet’s MC Academy playground on Tuesday afternoon.

“The election will be held in time by any means. The BNP leader does not have the ability to prevent the elections,” said Hasina, referring to opposition chief Khaleda Zia’s threat of thwarting the voting.

The 15th constitutional amendment for the first time has made it possible for a party to stay in power during election. The 10th national election is set to be held with the ruling Awami League still running the government.

The BNP has been opposing the amendment stating that free and fair election is not possible under a partisan government. The government is bound to hold the election in the period between Oct 25 and Jan 24.

The opposition has been demanding that the constitutional provision for a caretaker government to oversee the national election be reinstated. AL has discarded the demand.

Khaleda Zia at a Rangpur rally on Monday threatened to launch a vigorous movement against the government if it continued to dismiss the opposition demand for the caretaker government.

Taking a dig at her counterpart, Hasina said, “Khaleda Zia has said she will not allow any election. It means she does not want voting, she does not want polls.”

“What does she want? (Does she) want terrorism? (Does she) want militancy? The people don’t want these things, (they) want peace.”

Blaming Khaleda for her attempts to foil war crimes trial, Hasina said, “The trial is going on, verdicts have been delivered and they will be executed.”

She said no other electoral symbol but the boat would save the country from Al-Badrs, war criminals and murderers.

The Prime Minister also criticised the opposition leader for her comments about the Election Commission.

“She (Khaleda) has called the Election Commission spineless. But the Election Commission was constituted after consulting all. She was also part of the consultation process.”

Hasina questioned the opposition’s suspicion about the EC’s neutrality citing results of the recently held polls to five city corporations where the opposition candidates won.

“Elections are held in fair and neutral manner during the Awami League’s tenure.”

Hasina urged the people to re-elect her party, the Awami League.

“Vote on the symbol of boat, bring the Awami League to power once again. Raise your hands to promise (that).”

File Photo

She said she had endured the pain of losing all of her family members only to fulfil the dreams her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had for the country.

“I want to build a happy and prosperous Bangladesh as my father had dreamt of.”

Hasina offered prayer at the shrines of saints Hazrat Shahjalal and Shah Poran on her arrival at Sylhet.

She later joined the ceremony organised at Jalalabad Cantonment at the initiation of 17th Infantry Division of the army.

She alleged the opposition leader Khaleda had a role in triggering the mutiny at the then Bangladesh Rifles headquarters. She said that’s why the pro-BNP lawyers are defending suspected mutineers free of charge.

The Prime Minister wondered why they were doing so and to serve who.