When is the election? Advisors say ‘reform first’

As per the constitution, the election must take place within 90 days of the dissolution of parliament. However, the advisors of the interim government suggest taking time

Two representatives of the Anti-Discriminatory Students Movement are the advisors in the interim government led by Dr Yunus

The interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus sworn in on Thursday says that reform is needed before a timeframe is set for the next election.

Yunus was sworn in as chief advisor to Bangladesh's first interim government in 16 years to oversee a general election following the ousting of the Awami League regime in a student-led mass movement. Among the 16 advisors, 13 were sworn in on Thursday, while three others will take their oaths later as they were outside Dhaka at the time.

Some of the advisors spoke to the media after the swearing-in ceremony concluded. When asked about the tenure of the government, they said ‘structural reforms to the state’ were needed first.

“Of course, the main goal of the interim government is to establish democracy in Bangladesh through a fair, non-partisan election. However, people have been ‘deprived of their voting rights’ for a long time. So, this government will work to re-establish their right to vote. Before that, we need to reform the Election Commission and other state bodies. Otherwise, it will be a violation of people’s rights,” said Nahid Islam, a coordinator of the Anti-Discriminatory Student Movement who became an advisor to the interim government.

When asked about the priorities of the interim government, Nahid said they were ‘trial of those engaged in abduction, killing and looting during the regime of the last government, re-establishing the rule of law immediately, ensuring security for people and lessen their suffering.’

“These will be the immediate tasks for the government,” he said.

“We said that the state needs to be reformed or revamped. The entirety of Bangladesh needs to be overhauled. As the student leadership will be a part of the government, they will have a say in everything. Overall, we will create a new Bangladesh ourselves.”

WHAT THE CONSTITUTION SAYS

As per the constitution, the election must take place within 90 days of the dissolution of parliament. In case that cannot happen due to any disaster, the election must take place in the next 90 days.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved parliament on Aug 6. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir met him the day before at Bangabhaban and demanded an election in 90 days.

During the BNP’s rally on Wednesday, BNP Acting Chairperson Tarique Rahman demanded an election as early as possible.

However, it was evident that the interim cabinet had no plans to hold an election in 90 days. The Anti-Discriminatory Students Movement has proposed a three-year term for the interim government, according to media reports.

The dissolution of parliament was not done following the constitution. According to the rules, the prime minister should recommend that the president dissolve the parliament. The president can dissolve the parliament when it is not in a position to elect another prime minister following the resignation of the existing one.

The outgoing prime minister is supposed to perform their duties until a new one is elected. But it did not happen in this case, because Sheikh Hasina was not in the country. Later, the president exercised his inherent powers to dissolve the parliament. However, a legal explanation for forming the interim government has not been provided yet.