The 12th parliamentary polls will go ahead in line with the constitution
Published : 21 Jun 2023, 12:14 PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina says the 12th national election will be held on time as a continuation of the democratic process established by her Awami League government.
The premier was speaking at a media briefing on Wednesday about her recent visits to Switzerland and Qatar.
The upcoming election has been attracting the attention of the international community, particularly the US which has imposed visa restrictions for Bangladeshi individuals believed to be responsible for undermining the election process.
Against this backdrop, the prime minister downplayed the impact of external forces on the electoral process and said the election will be held in line with the provisions of the constitution.
Underlining her government's efforts to establish a democratic process in the country, Hasina said: “Informed citizens will consider the strides that have been made. We won't be stealing votes. We have been striving to hold fair elections."
To this end, the government has introduced voter reforms and passed electoral law to allow the Election Commission to conduct polls as they deem fit, she said.
Hasina said she has no intentions of hogging power. "If the people vote for me, then I'll still be here. Otherwise, I won't. I believe in the power of the people."
The prime minister also highlighted the economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, which has fuelled inflation and sparked a power crisis.
Noting that inflation is a global issue, Hasina said the government is taking steps to control prices. The country has also been facing a power supply crisis due to a forex crunch and energy shortage, but the prime minister believes the issue will also be resolved soon.
'INDIA DOESN'T NEED TO ADVOCATE FOR US'
As Bangladesh-US relations have seemingly become strained in recent months in light of the visa curbs and sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion, reports have suggested that Dhaka sought India's assistance to smooth things over during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington.
The matter was brought up when Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen met his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on the margins of a G20 development ministers’ meeting in Varanasi on Jun 12, the Hindustan Times reported.
However, Hasina sought to set the record straight on Dhaka's foreign policy stance. "The foreign minister said India is mature enough, competent, and they know very well what they need to say, so there India doesn't need to advocate on our behalf."
But it was reported differently in the media, according to Hasina. "There's a difference between what he said and the headlines on the issue."
BANGLADESH KEEN TO JOIN BRICS
The prime minister said she also expressed Bangladesh's interest in joining the BRICS coalition, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, in a discussion with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Geneva.
Membership in the coalition will allow Bangladesh to establish trade opportunities with a host of countries in order to ease some of the economic hardships facing the country.
"We don't want to be dependent on anyone at the international level. We want to have the opportunity to trade with other countries so that we can easily buy the things we need and ease the suffering of our people. We have decided to join BRICS after taking all these factors into consideration."
Bangladesh is also exploring the prospect of trading in its own currency in order to reduce its dependency on the US dollar, according to Hasina.
"We will see if there is any scope to trade through an alternative financial institution or currency. We are already holding discussions with some countries to trade with our own currency.