Dhaka, Sept 9 (bdnews24.com) – Four newly-elected city mayors and 157 councillors took oath of office on Tuesday.
Chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed administered the oath-taking ceremony to the mayors-elect of Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet city corporations at the LGED conference room.
The four newly-elected city mayors won the polls held on August 4. They are AHM Khairuzzaman in Rajshahi, Talukder Abdul Khaleq in Khulna, Badaruddin Ahmed Kamran in Sylhet and Shawkat Hossain Hiron in Barisal.
Kamran, who ran the polls behind bars, secured bail on Sept 4.
The Election Commission gazetted the results on August 12. All the mayors-elect gave up their party posts in line with legal stipulation.
After the mayors took oaths, 157 councillors of the four city corporations were sworn by local government adviser M Anwarul Iqbal.
Of them two detained councillors-elect took oath after they had been freed on parole from Dhaka Central Jail. They are Sylhet City Corporation councilor-elect Jagadish Chandra Das and Khulna City Corporation councilor-elect Golam Maula Shanu.
Before joining the ceremony the four mayor-elects spoke to reporters.
Khulna mayor-elect Khaleq said: "The government should respect the demands of the political parties for holding national elections. There is no reason to hold other polls ahead of national elections, slated for December."
Many political parties including the Awami League and BNP have been pressing the Election Commission for holding parliamentary polls before other polls.
Sylhet mayor-elect Kamran said: "We want every poll to be held. But I think people are waiting eagerly for national elections."
"An elected government is more convenient for a proper work environment," said the mayor, who was freed from jail recently.
"I have respect for the law. I believe that the charges against me will be resolved through legal procedure."
Kamran said that he would work to turn Sylhet into a tourist city.
Rajshahi mayor-elect Liton said, "People want national elections prior to all other polls. I don't have any other scope here to take a different stance."
"We want a political government, as we will feel comfortable to work under an elected government," Liton said.
"We want to work transparently and hope the government will not be hostile."
Barisal mayor-elect Hiron said: "The Upazila polls should be held later. It is more convenient to work under an elected government."
They pledged to work to resolve problems related to roads, drainage and water logging in their cities.
Asked to comment on the views of the mayors that national elections should be held first, adviser Iqbal said: "I don't think the mayors are right."
"While holding dialogues at different regions we noticed that people want local government elections first," he said.
On the position of the government about the Upazila polls the adviser said: "The Election Commission will decide it. If it wants to hold the [Upazila] elections, the government will support it."
"We are ready to support the Election Commission," Iqbal added.
The Election Commission gazetted the results on August 12. All the mayors-elect gave up their party posts in line with legal stipulation.
After the mayors took oaths, 157 councillors of the four city corporations were sworn by local government adviser M Anwarul Iqbal.
Of them two detained councillors-elect took oath after they had been freed on parole from Dhaka Central Jail. They are Sylhet City Corporation councilor-elect Jagadish Chandra Das and Khulna City Corporation councilor-elect Golam Maula Shanu.
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