BNP welcomes Ershad retreat

The BNP has welcomed the Jatiya Party’s decision to not contest Jan 5 parliamentary elections.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 3 Dec 2013, 04:10 PM
Updated : 3 Dec 2013, 04:10 PM

The chief Opposition partys ally Liberal Democratic Party chief Oli Ahmed also hailed the decision saying former President Hussein Muhammad Ershad took the ‘right’ decision for the first time.

Earlier in the day, the Jatiya Party Chairman said at a news conference the decision was taken considering that most political parties including those in the Opposition alliance were not taking part in it.

His reversal came a day after Jatiya Party candidates filed nominations for most of the 300 parliamentary seats.

The former military dictator said a 'proper environment' did not exist for the polls. "It's final that we will not go to the polls.”

According to the Election Commission, about 1,100 candidates of 15 political parties filed nominations.

The Opposition has rejected the roadmap to election and threatened to boycott the polls, demanding that the voting be held under a non-party government.

The main opposition’s acting spokesperson Salahuddin Ahmed welcomed Jatiya Party’s decision in a media statement emailed on Tuesday evening to the media.

He hoped other parties would also back off like Jatiya Party and boycott in the ‘one-sided’ elections.

Ahmed, a Joint Secretary General, in the statement reiterated the Opposition’s demand for suspension of the election schedule.

Several other senior BNP leaders including Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s advisor Osman Faruk have also greeted the Jatiya Party chief’s latest decision.

BNP Standing Committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan told bdnews24.com: “Ershad has realised that taking part in the one-sided polls means going against the people.”

Vice-Chairman M Hafizuddin Ahmed thought Ershad backing out added fuel to the Opposition’s movement.

LDP Chairman Oli Ahmed in a statement said, “Former President Hussein Muhammad Ershad has taken the right decision for the first time in 32 years.”

“His decision will be a landmark in the transition the nation is going through right now.”

He hoped the Jatiya Party leaders who are in the ‘all-party’ interim cabinet will also resign in the next couple days.