Bangladesh is going to polls on Dec 30, 2018 to elect the members of parliament.
EC to look into Tarique picking BNP aspirants if it gets complaint
After the Awami League protested against BNP acting chief Tarique Rahman joining the process of nominating the party’s candidates for the polls, the Election Commission says it will look into the issue if it gets a complaint.
Published : 18 Nov 2018, 01:34 PM
Updated : 18 Nov 2018, 09:37 PM
Tarique, who is a fugitive after being convicted in three cases, is interviewing potential BNP nominees at party chief's Gulshan office via video call from London on Sunday.
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has questioned Tarique’s participation in the nomination process and drawn the EC’s attention to the issue.
Asked about it later in the day, Election Commissioner Rafiqul Islam said, “We don’t have the capacity to monitor such incidents. If someone files a complaint with information and evidence, we will ask the relevant authorities to take legal steps. And our action will be within the limit of the law.”
There will be no problem if any convict freed on bail takes part in a party’s nomination process, according to the commissioner.
“But this (Tarique’s participation) is a different issue. We will take steps after seeing if we have anything to do within the purview of the law,” he said.
Rafiqul also said they were yet to get a formal complaint regarding the issue.
POLICE ASKED NOT TO HARASS ANYONE
Earlier in the day, the BNP submitted to the EC a list of over 2,000 cases against leaders and activists of the party.
It said the charges brought in the cases were “false and flimsy” and called for the commission’s intervention to have the cases dismissed.
Rafiqul said he was yet to check the list.
“But we will give instructions to the police so that they refrain from starting any case to harass someone. This destroys the election atmosphere a bit,” he said.
The BNP recently alleged that the televised ads of the government’s development work just ahead of the election breached the electoral rules.
“We neither have any power nor any wish to control the private TV channels,” Rafiqul said, adding that the private TV stations have their own guidelines on airing advertisements.
“They can broadcast this on volition. We would have taken steps if it was part of the election campaign,” he added.
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