EC asks govt to relax emergency for polls

The Election Commission (EC) has asked the government to relax the state of emergency since, they say, elections cannot be held with hands and feet tied.
"We've already said that elections could not be held with hands and legs tied if there is no relaxed atmosphere. We can't hold even municipality elections if this kind of situation prevails," Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain told reporters after the EC held an hour-long meeting with Bangladesh Kalyan Party (BKP).
He also hoped that the emergency issue could be settled through dialogue between the political parties and the government.
The EC asked the government to ensure that proper electoral atmosphere prevails before, during and after the announcement of the election schedule, Sakhawat said.
BKP Chairman Maj Gen (retd) Syed Mohammad Ibrahim, who led a five-member delegation at the talks with EC, told reporters that they asked the EC to request the government to take a decision on lifting or relaxing the state of emergency.
The newly floated parties could not conduct their activities at the district level due to the restrictions imposed under the emergency rules, he said.
The EC sat with political parties for discussing electoral reforms based on some specific criteria, Sakhawat said, adding that they are still receiving suggestions from the parties outside the dialogue.
"We've sent the draft electoral laws to those parties and asked them to send their suggestions within March 15 to 20. We'll finalise the draft of electoral laws within this month considering all suggestions," he said.
BKP Chairman Maj Gen (retd) Syed Ibrahim suggested holding upazila elections before the national elections or holding both the elections simultaneously.
He said the elections must be held as per the EC-announced electoral roadmap, that is, by December. "The elections can't be delayed by any means," he added.