BNP won’t accept election schedule before polls-time govt issue is settled

The BNP will not accept a roadmap to the general elections until the issue of a polls-time government is resolved, the party spokesperson has said.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir accused the government of dodging the issue of the polls-time government, which he said was something that needed a political resolution, through discussions among the political parties.

“We want a neutral government to oversee the polls,” he told reporters.

“This needs to be clear – before this problem is resolved, no party will accept a unilateral declaration of schedule from the Election Commission. It will never be acceptable,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Fakhrul and other senior leaders placed wreaths at founder Ziaur Rahman's mausoleum in the parliament area to mark the 39th founding anniversary of  of the party’s labour front, Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal.

The secretary general's remarks follow an announcement by an election commissioner that the schedule of the next general elections may be published in October.

According to the Constitution, the 11th parliamentary elections have to be held within 90 days before the term of the current parliament ends. By that rule, it has to be held between Oct 30 and Jan 28.

The BNP boycotted the last parliamentary election in 2014, refusing to come to polls while Awami League sat in the government.

Leaders of the Awami League, which opposes election under an unelected government, have been saying the next election will also be held under the ruling government and the BNP will become politically obsolete if it boycotts the polls.

“Their real goal is to hold a one-sided election and keep BNP out of it,” Fakhrul said.

“The Awami League has become disconnected from the people. That is why they think it is possible to go to polls with our Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in jail.”

If the BNP comes to polls, the Awami League will be wiped out, he claimed.

“That is why they have set up a biased Election Commission, which is trying to undertake an election the people of this country will never accept.”

Pointing to the EC's redrawing of 25 parliamentary constituencies, Fakhrul said: “The EC is taking its orders from the government. They are heading towards the blueprint of a one-sided election.”

He expressed doubts about whether the upcoming city corporation elections in Gazipur and Khulna would be fair.

BNP Vice Chairman Barkat Ullah Bulu, President of Sramik Dal Anwar Hossain, and General Secretary Nurul Islam Khan Nasim were present.