BNP chief Tarique to deliver election address on BTV on Feb 9

EC receives no applications from other participating parties

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is currently the only party to respond to an Election Commission (EC) initiative to broadcast speeches by the heads of political parties participating in the parliamentary polls.

In light of this, the EC has issued a formal letter to the Bangladesh Television (BTV) director general to arrange the broadcast of the BNP chief’s speech on Feb 9.

On Tuesday, EC spokesman Ruhul Amin Mallik sent the correspondence, noting: "Creating a conducive electoral environment is vital for a fair, free, and acceptable election.

“Providing equal opportunities for all candidates to campaign on BTV can play a significant role in establishing that environment."

The letter outlined instructions for "slot allocation" for party leaders’ broadcasts.

It specified that slots must be assigned based on the chronological order of written applications, strictly adhering to the electoral code of conduct.

BTV will allocate slots for party chiefs and determine the duration of each spot.

The broadcaster will finalise the date and time of recording the address in consultation with the political party.

While 51 parties are set to contest in the Feb 12 election and referendum, the commission will shortly determine which party chiefs will feature and the specific broadcast schedule.

The move follows an earlier practice.

In the run-up to the 2008 election, speeches by the leaders of major parties were aired during the final phase of canvassing.

Campaigning for the election will end at 7:30am on Feb 10.

BTV is aiming to complete the broadcast of the speeches between Feb 9 and 10, before the campaign deadline.