Opposition parties return to polls after years in wilderness

Fresh winds have begun blowing from the opposition camp. In a major breakthrough, the BNP and its allies have decided to join the race to parliament, capping five years in the political wilderness after their boycott of the previous nationwide election.

Sunday saw the Jatiya Oikya Front and the BNP-led 20-party alliance announce that they would take part in the upcoming parliamentary election.

The Oikya Front, led by Dr Kamal Hossain, broke the news through an afternoon briefing at the National Press Club on Sunday. The 20-party alliance held a separate press conference around the same time to announce its own decision.

The announcement was doubly significant as the BNP that had previously attached Khaleda Zia’s freedom from jail as a key condition for the election was conspicuously silent on the issue on Sunday.

Words of the opposition parties joining the race received an immediate public welcome from the ruling Awami League.

Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina has welcomed her political foes to the election slated for Dec 23, a date the opposition parties want to push back.

Hasina said her government’s goal is a free, fair and impartial election. The victors will be chosen by the people, she said. Hasina added the participation of all political parties will help build a strong, democratic nation.  

Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain addressing the Jatiya Oikya Front's news conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Sunday. Photo: Abdullah Al Momin

OIKYA FRONT

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, another leader of the opposition alliance, made the announcement on behalf of Kamal Hossain and also called for the current election schedule to be scrapped and for the polls to be delayed by a month.

“It is very difficult for the Jatiya Oikya Front to make a decision based on the schedule announced by the Election Commission,” he said.

“But even in these extremely adverse conditions, the Jatiya Oikya Front has agreed to take part in the elections to preserve democracy in the country.”

The alliance is not backing down from its seven-point list of demands, he said.

“We call for the current schedule to be scrapped and a new schedule to be announced for a month later,” Mirza Fakhrul said.

“It will thus still be possible to hold the election within the term of the current parliament.”

According to the constitution, the election must be held by Jan 28.

20-PARTY ALLIANCE

LDP President Oli Ahmed made the announcement on behalf of the 20-party alliance.

“We trust in the people and so the 20-party alliance, despite the adversity it faces, has decided to participate in the upcoming national parliamentary election as a coalition,” he said. “We are firmly committed to the continuance of democracy.”

“We believe there should be an opportunity for the people to deliver a verdict against the government’s corruption, its lawlessness, its failure to return the Teesta waters and its boundless failure to protect the interests of the state. And so we will take part in the election.”

The BNP and six of its affiliate parties have sought the Election Commission’s permission to run candidates under the ‘paddy sheaf’ symbol.

A letter with a request signed by BNP’s Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was delivered to the Election Commission.

The letter requested that candidates from seven parties – the BNP, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Bangladesh Jatiya Party, Khelafat Majlish, the Jatiya Ganatantrik Party, the Bangladesh Muslim League and the Jamiote-Olamaye-Islam Bangladesh – be allowed to use the ‘paddy sheaf’ symbol in the election.

Oli Ahmed said at the press conference that the 20-party alliance hoped that it would come to an agreement with the Jatiya Oikya Front on joint participation in the coming elections.

He also echoed the Oikya Front’s demand for the election to be postponed by a month.

'NO OBJECTIONS’

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader had said before the Oikya Front news conference that his party had no objection to the polls being pushed back.

But such a move must be justified and has to be made after discussions with all the parties that intend to run in the election, he said.

The Awami League’s key ally the Jatiya Party has also hinted at having no qualms about the EC’s move.

“The Jatiya Party is ready for the elections. But it’s up to the Election Commission to decide whether or not the polls will be deferred,” its Secretary General ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader said.

CEC KM Nurul Huda announcing the election schedule on Thursday.

Chef Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda had earlier said they would consider deferring the ballot if all the parties wanted.

The Oikya Front on Sunday sent a letter to the EC demanding that the polls be deferred by a month.

The Jukto Front alliance headed by Bikalpadhara Bangladesh President AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury also believes the election should be deferred by a week.

The CEC told reporters on Sunday that the commission would sit to discuss the demands on Monday.

“I can’t tell you about it now. We are yet to discuss it,” he said.

“We still want (all the parties to contest in the polls. We obviously want it,” the CEC said.

VOTE MOOD IN THE AIR

The Awami League started selling nomination forms at Hasina’s Dhanmomdi office on Friday.

The enthusiastic ticket seekers and their supporters thronged the office and the surrounding neighbourhood in a festive mood in the three days, creating traffic congestions in the area.

Until Sunday, 3,296 aspirants seeking the Awami League’s ticket bought the forms, which means a collection of Tk 98.8 million for the ruling party. The sale will continue until Monday and then the party will start interviewing the aspirants to pick up the candidates.

Bangladesh ODI cricket team captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza drew a huge crowd and social media attention by buying a form for the Awami League’s ticket.

Former Bangladesh Bank governor Mohammed Farashuddin, former MP and actress Sarah Begum Kabori, actor Akbar Hossain Farooq and actress Shomi Kaiser have also collected the AL forms.

The BNP is selling nomination forms on Monday and Tuesday.

The aspirants will be able to submit the forms until Wednesday before the party scrutinises the forms and interview the aspirants, Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabr Rizvi said.

Dr Kamal’s Gono Forum started interviewing the aspirants on Sunday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina spoke to Oikya Front chief Dr Kamal Hossain after the second round of talks on Wednesday. Photo: PID

TALKS

The Oikya Front had pressed for a seven-point list of demands, including the release of Khaleda, resignation of the government, dissolution of parliament and reformation of the Election Commission.

The Awami League had already dismissed the demands but Hasina recently called the Oikya Front and other political groups to iron out different issues over the elections.

She sat with Oikya Front delegations, which included BNP leaders, twice during the series of dialogues, but stuck to her guns and turned down their demand for a nonpartisan election-time government citing constitutional provisions.

She also maintained that Khaleda’s freedom depends on the court. Dr Kamal and the BNP leaders reportedly failed to defend their issues with convincing arguments during the talks.

After the talks, the Oikya Front demanded the election and schedule announcement be deferred until the issues were resolved, but the Election Commission announced the schedule of the Dec 23 polls.

The deadline for filing nominations is Nov 19. Returning officers will scrutinise the nomination papers on Nov 22 and the final date for withdrawing candidacy is Nov 29, according to the schedule.

Hasina also sat with HM Ershad’s Jatiya Party, which had been expecting to demand a rise of its share of seats in parliament, but later dropped the issue from the talks as it depended much on the BNP’s decision on joining the election.

The Jatiya Party had said after the talks it would nominate candidates in all 300 seats if the BNP stayed away from the election again.

But Ershad’s party now may have to contest in the election under the umbrella of the Awami League-led Grand Alliance.

"Discussions are under way. It will take one more day or two. We’ll let you know when the time comes,” Jatiya Party Secretary General ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader told reporters at the party chief’s office on Sunday.  

The Jukto Front alliance headed by Bikalpadhara Bangladesh chief AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury said they were “happy” with the talks, dropping a broad hint at joining the election.

The Left Democratic Alliance of the CPB, BaSaD and Revolutionary Workers Party are also yet to make up their mind about joining the election after the talks. They have taken a wait-and-see stance.

YEARS IN WILDERNESS

The BNP and its allies, having been denied their demand for a nonpartisan election-time government, had staged a violent boycott of the 2014 elections. The party was in parliament as the main opposition until then.

After Khaleda had refused to sit in talks with Hasina before the election, around 100 people, including 21 on the Jan 5 voting day, were killed in violence centring the polls.

More than 100 others were killed in firebombings of vehicles, mainly buses, during months of violence in 2015 after Khaleda had called a blockade on the first anniversary of the election.

Jailed for corruption in two cases earlier this year, she is also accused of instigating the violent protests in 2015.

After her jailing in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case in February, the party said it would continue peaceful protests for her release.

BNP chief Khaleda Zia is shifted back to the Old Dhaka jailhouse on Thursday from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University after a month of treatment. Photo: Abdullah Al Momin

Its demands also include release of scores of its leaders and activists held as prisoners of state and withdrawal of the cases against them.

Top BNP leaders are accused in a hoard of cases that accuse them of ordering acts of sabotage, causing defamation and many other charges.    

The party had also alleged it had been denied permission to hold rallies many times, but Hasina in the recent talks assured them of removing the obstacles to holding programmes.