Election confirmed in February, no plan to backtrack, says Advisor Asif Nazrul

The elections will be held in February, the same month the interim government leaves, he says

The upcoming general election will be held in February no matter what statements are made by the political parties, says Law Advisor Asif Nazrul.

On Tuesday, he said the government is “firmly committed” to holding the elections and will “not backtrack” from the chief advisor’s announcement.

“Our sir (Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus) is a world-renowned person, and a global personality. He made the announcement and we have no plan to backtrack from it,” he said.

Differences of opinion exist between the BNP -– one of the larger political parties -- the government and some smaller parties regarding the July Proclamation and the July Charter, also known as the National Charter.

The National Citizen Party (NCP) said that an election will not be accepted without a legal basis to the July Charter and necessary reforms.

Asked about these differences of opinion, the law advisor said: "The responsibility of holding the elections lies with the government, not the political parties.

“The government is firmly committed to holding the elections. We are keeping this in mind -- the elections will be held in February, and we (interim government) will leave in February."

He added, “The political parties say different things for different purposes, and that is just part of the political process. We always see it. Traditionally, these are the issues talked about in Bangladesh, and the same discussions are going on.

“There’s no qualitative change in that. Hence, the statements made during campaigns are part of the political process and you should perceive it that way."