President Hamid urges parties to talk for fair election

President Md Abdul Hamid has advised political parties to have dialogues among themselves for the sake of a proper election.

The advice for meeting over the next Elecion Commission comes after the ruling Awami League rejected a proposal for talks by the BNP.

The president has the constitutional mandate to constitute the electoral commission.

Hamid has been holding talks with political parties to replace the current body led by Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad.

He has made remarks to remind the parties of their responsibilities while the two major parties, arch rivals Awami League and BNP, continue to polarise the country’s politics.

A seasoned politician, he earlier stressed on the need for parties to agree on important issues.

The president has also talked about the need for tolerance and cooperation.

Hamid sat with Khilafat e Majlish and Jamiat-e Islam at the Bangabhaban on Tuesday.

He was quoted by Jainal Abedin, his press secretary, as saying, “For democracy, there is no alternative to a fair election. All parties, besides the government, should come forward to play their responsible roles.”   

Dialogue, he said, could reduce differences between parties. The parties were themselves responsible for creating a proper environment for talks.

The Awami League has been dismissive of the BNP’s call for talks, saying the Khaleda Zia- led party that sat out the previous election has itself closed all doors for dialogue.