EC wants politics ban to go by March
The Election Commission (EC) has set end of March as the deadline for the caretaker government for lifting the restrictions on indoor politics countrywide so that political parties can resume their activities and get registered with the EC.
The EC also asked the government to decide by early next month whether the state of emergency would be lifted or relaxed to create the environment conducive to holding the long due polls to four city corporations and eight municipalities in April.
Following a meeting with Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed on Monday, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday disclosed the March-deadline to the media.
"We want the restrictions on indoor politics countrywide to go by the end of March. We also want a government decision on the state of emergency by early next month," Huda told the media at the EC Secretariat conference room.
He said the chief adviser assured the EC of taking necessary steps in this regard soon.
Addressing the nation on January 12, Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed said his government was considering lifting the restrictions on indoor politics
countrywide and gradually relaxing the state of emergency depending on the "needs and circumstance".
The CEC yesterday said at the discussion with the chief adviser the EC emphasised the need for creation of the environment conducive to holding the first round polls to the city corporations and municipalities in April.
"We want to hold the polls to the city corporations and municipalities at the end of April and the schedules for these polls will have to be declared at least 40 days before the polling day," Huda said.
According to the EC plan, the poll schedules for the city corporations in Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet and municipalities in Shariatpur, Sitakunda, Cox's Bazar, Golapganj, Sripur, Fulbaria, Chouddagram and Manikganj will be announced by the middle of March.
In that case, the government will have to either lift or relax the state of emergency in the areas concerned so that candidates can launch their election campaigns.
Bangladesh Army yesterday handed over the draft voter lists of the four city corporations and municipalities except Chouddagram to the EC for publishing the draft lists and correct mistakes, if any. The total number of voters in these areas is 12.99 lakh.
After polls in these areas the EC will go for holding polls to Dhaka City Corporation and a few other municipalities in May.
On the much-talked-about talks with the political parties on electoral reforms, the CEC said he wants to complete the talks in February.
"I hope we will get an order from the High Court on the BNP issue which will end our two-month long sufferings," Huda said.
The EC had begun the electoral reform talks with the political parties on September 12 last year and announced to complete the first round talks in November. It planned to hold the second round talks in December. But disputes within the BNP stalled the EC plan.
Once the talks are completed in February, the EC will finalise the electoral reform proposals and send those to the government for formulating laws.
According to the EC proposals and electoral roadmap, a political party intending to contest the next parliamentary elections will have to register with the commission by June this year after meeting a set of proposed criteria.
The parties will have to hold their national councils to elect new leaderships and amend their constitutions before applying for the registration.
All outdoor political activities were suspended following the state of emergency on January 11 last year. On March 7, the caretaker government also banned indoor politics across the country.
At the EC's request, the government allowed indoor politics only in the capital from September 10 to facilitate the electoral reform talks with the parties.
On the recently approved draft ordinance, the CEC said all the proposals of the EC have been accepted.
"The commission's secretariat is fully independent now," Huda said.
According to the draft ordinance, the EC is empowered to formulate rules; a committee will be formed with the CEC and other government officials to recruit manpower for its secretariat; the EC is independent to appoint the EC secretary; and it will have financial autonomy.
DRAFT VOTER LISTS
Receiving the draft voter lists for four city corporations and seven municipalities, CEC Huda congratulated the army personnel and field level civil officials who have been working for preparing the voter list with photographs and facilitating the preparation of national identity cards.
The CEC said a total of 3.29 crore voters have been registered as of February 3. "We are almost halfway through the gigantic task of voter listing as we do not think the number of voters will exceed eight crore," Huda said.
Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain, Military Secretary to the army headquarters Maj Gen Shafiqul Islam, EC Secretary Humayun Kabir and voter listing Project Director Brig Gen Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury spoke on the occasion of handing over of the draft list to the EC.
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