Dhaka, Dec 12: Bangladesh’s Awami League has dismissed the national election schedule announced by the Election Commission (EC), claiming that free and fair polls cannot be conducted under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government. The EC on Thursday declared that the country’s 13th national parliamentary election, along with the July Charter referendum, will be held on February 12 next year.
In a strongly worded statement issued after reviewing the schedule announced by what it termed the “illegal, occupying, killer-fascist Yunus clique’s illegal Election Commission”, the Awami League said the declaration proves the current authority is “entirely biased”. The party said that under such an administration, it is impossible to create an environment conducive to transparent, neutral, and credible polls that reflect the people’s will.
The Awami League accused the interim administration of attempting to push the nation into a deeper crisis by trying to hold an election that excludes the party that led the Liberation War, along with other major political parties and the majority of the population. It demanded the withdrawal of all restrictions placed on the party, scrapping of what it called “fabricated cases” against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, political leaders, and ordinary citizens, and the unconditional release of all political prisoners.
The party stressed that the “current deceitful occupying government” must step down and be replaced by a neutral caretaker government capable of conducting an inclusive, participatory election.
Reiterating its electoral legacy, the Awami League said, “Elections are the measure of public popularity. The Awami League is an election-oriented party with the strength and courage to stand before the people.” The party noted that since its founding, it has contested 13 elections, winning nine and forming the government, and rejected the announced schedule that excludes representatives of the majority in Bangladesh.
