Dozens of parties want polls by Dec

Gono Forum, the Left Democratic Alliance, and the 12-Party Alliance have strongly reiterated their demand for holding the national election by December.

In separate statements yesterday, the parties rejected recent remarks made by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus in Japan that "no one except one party wants elections in December".

They criticised the chief adviser's claim, terming it "false, misleading, and damaging to the political atmosphere".

Gono Forum described the remarks as "incorrect" and expressed concern that such statements from the chief adviser and others in the interim government were creating confusion and division among political parties.

The party said it has long called for necessary reforms and preparations to hold a free, fair, and credible election by December. It accused the government of failing to adopt a clear plan to achieve this goal and said it was "unfortunate" that th eblame was being shifted onto political parties instead.

At a presidium meeting, Gono Forum called for an immediate and concrete election roadmap.

The meeting observed that over the past nine months, the government has failed to take effective steps to restore law and order or bring stability to the public administration. It added that no visible reforms or actions have been undertaken to ensure a fair and acceptable election.

As a result, public confidence in the government is declining, and uncertainty is growing among political parties and the general population, the statement said.

In a joint statement, the Left Democratic Alliance echoed similar concerns, calling the chief adviser's comments "a blatant falsehood" and "intentionally misleading".

Such a false statement by the chief executive of the state is not only harmful to the country but also damaging to his own image and constitutes a violation of his constitutional oath, the alliance said.

The alliance leaders asserted that more than 50 registered and unregistered political parties, including their own, have called for parliamentary elections by December.

The statement further said, "Under the same agenda, a newly formed political party supported by the government -- along with some radical communal groups and parties involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity during 1971 -- is engaging in various destructive activities to destabilise the country and sabotage the election."

These actions are plunging the nation into a dire situation, the alliance warned.

The 12-Party Alliance, in a separate statement, said all democratic and patriotic political parties -- not just one -- have been demanding a December election for the past nine months.

They accused Prof Yunus of trying to extend his stay in power through "political trickery" and of aligning with fundamentalist, unpopular, and anti-liberation groups.

They warned that his actions could derail the electoral process and deepen the ongoing political crisis.

The alliance urged the chief adviser to immediately announce a clear election roadmap to ensure stability and uphold democratic aspirations.