BNP won’t offer any timeframe for holding election

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has apparently softened its stance and decided not to specify a rigid timeframe for holding next parliamentary elections, so that the interim government can carry out fundamental reforms in the state mechanism in the meantime. 

The party, in a meeting of its national standing committee on Monday, reached a consensus in this regard. All members of the party’s supreme policy making body agreed to allow the interim government a reasonable time to execute necessary reforms. 

According to sources, the other decisions of the meeting include that the BNP will demand a judicial inquiry committee to investigate the BDR killings at Pilkhana in 2009, and that they will celebrate the party’s founding anniversary with much festivity on 1 September.     

Previously, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir had demanded that the elections be held within three months following the formation of the interim government, while acting chairman Tarique Rahman sought elections in the fastest possible time.  

It was learned through conversations with multiple members of the standing committee after the meeting that the party shifted its stance on the issue and decided to refrain from offering any rigid timeframe to the interim government for holding the parliamentary elections.  

Its policymakers now believe that the interim government should be given adequate time to carry out necessary reforms, particularly in key state institutions. The BNP would extend its full support to the government. 

On the condition of anonymity, a member of the standing committee told Prothom Alo, “It has been only a few days since the inception of the government. Why will the BNP offer a timeframe right now? It would be indecent and inappropriate. It is not a matter for us to demand, rather they will announce an election when the time comes.” 

The meeting welcomed two newly appointed members – Maj (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed and AZM Zahid Hossain –  of the standing committee. Apart from other members, acting chairman Tarique Rahman joined the meeting virtually.