Rift in EC: AL not for Mahbub's resignation
The Awami League does not want Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar to resign, said party's General Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday.
His remarks came a day after AL-led 14-party alliance coordinator Mohammed Nasim said Mahbub should quit as he “violated his oath of secrecy”.
“It [resignation] is an internal matter of the Election Commission. If any party or person wants [Mahbub's resignation], this will be the party's or person's individual demand,” Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, told reporters at the capital's Setu Bhaban after a meeting with Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla.
Responding to a query, Quader said what Nasim had said might have been his or the 14-party alliance's view, but it was not the AL's opinion.
The 14-party combine is led by the AL.
The EC is comprised of four election commissioners and the chief election commissioner. It is normal that any one of them can express different views, Quader said.
“Will it put the Election Commission in question?” he asked.
In a meeting at the AL president's Dhanmondi office on Wednesday, the 14-party alliance criticised the commissioner for disclosing contents of an EC meeting to the media and accused him of “violating the oath of secrecy”.
“Mahbub Talukdar cannot make such comments on Election Commission's meeting. He should resign as he violated his oath of secrecy,” said Nasim, also a presidium member of the AL and the health minister.
On Monday, Mahbub walked out of an election preparatory meeting for what he told reporters was not being allowed to place his proposals on how to hold the polls in a free, fair, and inclusive manner.
The election commissioner claimed that he wanted to speak on five issues, including how to use the army in the election, find ways to ensure a level-playing field for all parties, and increase EC's capabilities to exercise its power, in the meeting.
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