Jamaat, 7 other parties to contest election based on seat-sharing: Hamidur Rahman Azad

Eight political parties involved in the simultaneous movement—including Jamaat-e-Islami—are preparing to contest the upcoming election through a seat-sharing arrangement.

Jamaat-e-Islami’s Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad disclosed this information at a press conference today, Wednesday, where the eight parties announced a new set of programmes based on their five-point demands.

Hamidur Rahman Azad said that the eight parties will join the next national election based on mutual understanding. The alliance is also open to other parties. The 13th parliamentary election has been announced for next February. Although Jamaat and various Islamic parties were once part of an alliance with the BNP, the landscape of an Awami League–less election field has changed since the July uprising. This time, Jamaat wants to contest the election separately with a coalition of Islamic parties.

The parties that have been in the simultaneous movement with Jamaat are Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Khelafat Majlis, Nezame Islam Party, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolon, Bangladesh Development Party, and Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (JAGPA).

Their five-point demands include giving the July Charter a legal basis, allocating seats in the upper house of parliament according to the number of votes received by each party, and holding the referendum separately before the national election.

The interim government has already announced that the referendum will be held alongside the parliamentary election in February. At the press conference, Jamaat leader Azad expressed doubt about whether the government has the capacity to hold a referendum and general election on the same day.

The July Charter implementation order states that seats in the upper house of parliament will be distributed proportionately according to the votes received by the parties. However, Jamaat and the other seven parties are now emphasising the need to ensure equal opportunities for all participants in the election. They have also decided to campaign for a “Yes” vote in the referendum.

At the press conference, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Senior Nayeb-e-Amir Yusuf Ashraf announced new programmes for the eight parties: from 30 November to 6 December, rallies will be held in seven divisional cities outside Dhaka.

Yusuf Ashraf said that the rallies will take place in the seven divisional cities as follows: 30 November in Rangpur, 1 December in Rajshahi, 2 December in Khulna, 3 December in Barishal, 4 December in Mymensingh, 5 December in Sylhet, and 6 December in Chattogram. The eight parties will campaign to ensure a “Yes” victory in the referendum.

After a meeting of the liaison committee of the eight parties at the central office of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis in Paltan, Dhaka, the leaders spoke at the press conference. Among those present were Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Secretary General Jalaluddin Ahmad; Khelafat Majlis Secretary General Ahmad Abdul Qader; Senior Nayeb-e-Amir Sakhawat Hossain; Joint Secretary General Md Abdul Jalil; Islami Andolan Bangladesh Joint Secretary General Ashraful Alam; Fazle Bari Masud; Khelafat Andolon Secretary General Yusuf Sadeq Hakkani; Bangladesh Khelafat Andolon presidium member Tawhiduzzaman; Bangladesh Nezame Islam Party Senior Nayeb-e-Amir Abdul Mazed Athari; Secretary General Musa bin Izhar; and JAGPA Vice President Rashed Pradhan.