'Delay will aid fascist forces’: BNP’s Zahid demands immediate election roadmap

He warns that adherents of the fallen autocratic regime are plotting at home and abroad to foil elections and create disorder

BNP leader AZM Zahid Hossain has urged the Election Commission to announce an election roadmap without delay.

The BNP Standing Committee member made the call on Friday during a discussion at the National Press Club in Dhaka.

“We want to say this clearly: there should be no more delay,” he said.

“The interim government led by Dr Muhammad Yunus has requested the commission, including the chief election commissioner, to hold elections by mid-February. Now we want the Election Commission to announce the election roadmap immediately.”

Zahid also warned that any delay in the vote would only benefit “autocratic forces”.

Criticising statements from some political parties, he said: “You say, ‘If there is no proportional representation, we won’t join the election.’ But have you thought about the implication of that? If the election is prolonged, delayed or not held on time, who benefits? It is those loyal to the fallen autocracy, still entrenched in the administration, judiciary, and business sector.”

“They, along with their exiled leader, are plotting at home and abroad to prevent elections and create disorder. So those who raise demands that push the election back, knowingly or unknowingly, should consider whether they are in fact working in favour of the autocracy,” he added.

The discussion, focusing on the importance of parliamentary elections to ensure democracy and human rights, was organised by the World Human Rights Organisation–Bangladesh.