Bar candidates with political link
The Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday demanded cancellation of the candidature of those contesting the upcoming nonparty election to city corporations and municipalities under the banners of political parties.
PDP Chairman Ferdous Ahmed Quarishi made the plea at a press conference at the party office, as many candidates are in the race with their party approval.
He noted some political parties have directly nominated their contestants for the elections and the candidates have also started conducting their election campaign by identifying themselves as their respective party candidates.
“That directly violates the electoral rules announced by the Election
Commission (EC) as it has clearly said no candidates can take part in local-body elections by using political identity, so their candidature should be cancelled,” Quarishi said.
He said despite having good candidates in all the city corporations and municipalities, his party did not nominate anyone for the local- body elections, but others did not respect the EC announcement.
“The EC should sit immediately and take decision about it. Otherwise, the electoral rules would be farcical,” he said.
Blaming the government for such transgressions, he said the interim regime “bowed under the pressure of some political parties on various issues, which is unfortunate”.
The PDP chief, whose party is supporting sociopolitical reforms in the interim period, suggested that the government should hold all types of local elections, including upazila election, on an emergency basis before holding national elections in establishing democracy at grassroots level.
About the Election Commissioner's comment that they would hold election in some 300 or 350 upazilas in October, he said if they are able to hold election in so many upazilas, then election in the remaining upazilas could also be arranged at the same time.
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