No point to delay election beyond December: Salahuddin Ahmed

BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has said there is no reason for the next national election to be held after December. According to him, none of the required reforms would take more than a month to implement.

He made the statement while speaking to the media after a meeting with the chief adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, at the Bangladesh Foreign Service Academy on Monday. The national consensus commission hosted the meeting marking the beginning of the second round of discussions with political parties regarding reforms.

“We believe that it is possible to hold the national election within December,” said Salahuddin Ahmed. “Let us identify the required reforms on priority basis, particularly the election-oriented ones, and implement those through consensus. There are no reforms that are not possible to be implemented within one month.”

He emphasised that apart from constitutional reforms, the proposals that all agreed upon can be implemented within one month, through executive orders. “Hence, there is not a single noticeable reason to delay the election beyond December.”

The BNP leader further said, “We have been able to convince the issue, and have placed the same proposal again. Today, we have noticed in statements of a majority of political parties that they proposed an election before December. We hope the chief adviser will consider it and will play a fair role, as a symbol of national unity.”

Regarding the consensus on reforms, Salahuddin said it seems from the second-round discussion that they will discuss with all political parties to reach a consensus over some key national issues.

“We may not be able to reach national consensus on every point, but it is the beauty of democracy. We would hold discussions. We may build national consensus on some issues, and may come close on some others. Thus, a national consensus will develop,” he said.

In the meeting with the chief adviser, BNP chairperson’s adviser Ismail Jabihullah, and lawyer Ruhul Kuddus were present, in addition to the standing committee member. A total of 30 political parties were invited to the meeting.