Main opposition BNP has said people will not accept reappointment of
chief election commissioner (CEC) A T M Shamsul Huda for a second term.
BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain at a discussion in the city on Saturday said that he has seen some reports in the newspapers that the CEC could be reappointed.
"What can be more unfortunate than that? The person is loyal to the government. Then why did the president stage a 'drama' in the name of dialogue (with the political parties) if he is to be reappointed?" he asked.
Mosharraf said that the re-formation of the Election Commission (EC) would also be unacceptable to the nation if the non-party caretaker government system is not restored before that.
The tenure of the EC led by chief election commissioner (CEC) A T M Shamsul Huda will end by the middle of February.
President Zillur Rahman has already held dialogue with various political parties to have their opinion on the formation of the next EC.
Taking part in the dialogue, Jatiya Party, a key partner in the ruling combine, and Bikalpadhara Bangladesh had proposed extension of the tenure of the incumbent EC.
Eminent jurist Dr Kamal Hossain had said there is no legal bar to reappointment of Shamsul Huda as the CEC – a view echoed by senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sen Gupta.
During the dialogue with the president, BNP said that initiates should be taken to restore the caretaker government provision before the re-formation of the EC.
Parliament on June 30 last year passed the 15th Constitution Amendment Bill, scrapping the caretaker government proviso.
Ever since, BNP has been demanding restoration of the 15-year-old constitutional provision that mandates an elected government to transfer power, on completion of its term, to an unelected non-partisan caretaker administration to oversee a new parliamentary election.
In this regard, Mosharraf on Saturday suggested the government to bring a bill to restore the constitutional provision of caretaker government system in the next parliamentary session that will begin on Jan 25.
Saying that the demand for restoration of the caretaker government system has turned into a 'national demand', the BNP leader said that most of the parties during the dialogue with the president gave their opinions in favour of the caretaker government system.
"There'll be a mass uprising in the country if the election is held under a party-backed government defying the demand," he added.
The discussion was organised by Sammilitya Peshajibi Parishad (combined professionals' council) at the VIP Lounge of the National Press Club in memoriam of International Islamic University, Chittagong (IIUC) vice-chancellor Prof Mahbub Ullah who died on Jan 7 while undergoing treatment at the Apollo Hospitals in Dhaka.
Chaired by council president Mahmudur Rahman, the programme was addressed, among others, by Dhaka University teachers Prof Mahbub Ullah, Prof A F M Yousuf Haider, Prof Sadrul Amin, economist Abu Ahmed, Federal Journalists Union president Ruhul Amin Gazi, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, advisor Ahmed Azam Khan and former vice-chancellor of Jahangirnagar University Prof Mustahidur Rahman.
BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain at a discussion in the city on Saturday said that he has seen some reports in the newspapers that the CEC could be reappointed.
"What can be more unfortunate than that? The person is loyal to the government. Then why did the president stage a 'drama' in the name of dialogue (with the political parties) if he is to be reappointed?" he asked.
Mosharraf said that the re-formation of the Election Commission (EC) would also be unacceptable to the nation if the non-party caretaker government system is not restored before that.
The tenure of the EC led by chief election commissioner (CEC) A T M Shamsul Huda will end by the middle of February.
President Zillur Rahman has already held dialogue with various political parties to have their opinion on the formation of the next EC.
Taking part in the dialogue, Jatiya Party, a key partner in the ruling combine, and Bikalpadhara Bangladesh had proposed extension of the tenure of the incumbent EC.
Eminent jurist Dr Kamal Hossain had said there is no legal bar to reappointment of Shamsul Huda as the CEC – a view echoed by senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sen Gupta.
During the dialogue with the president, BNP said that initiates should be taken to restore the caretaker government provision before the re-formation of the EC.
Parliament on June 30 last year passed the 15th Constitution Amendment Bill, scrapping the caretaker government proviso.
Ever since, BNP has been demanding restoration of the 15-year-old constitutional provision that mandates an elected government to transfer power, on completion of its term, to an unelected non-partisan caretaker administration to oversee a new parliamentary election.
In this regard, Mosharraf on Saturday suggested the government to bring a bill to restore the constitutional provision of caretaker government system in the next parliamentary session that will begin on Jan 25.
Saying that the demand for restoration of the caretaker government system has turned into a 'national demand', the BNP leader said that most of the parties during the dialogue with the president gave their opinions in favour of the caretaker government system.
"There'll be a mass uprising in the country if the election is held under a party-backed government defying the demand," he added.
The discussion was organised by Sammilitya Peshajibi Parishad (combined professionals' council) at the VIP Lounge of the National Press Club in memoriam of International Islamic University, Chittagong (IIUC) vice-chancellor Prof Mahbub Ullah who died on Jan 7 while undergoing treatment at the Apollo Hospitals in Dhaka.
Chaired by council president Mahmudur Rahman, the programme was addressed, among others, by Dhaka University teachers Prof Mahbub Ullah, Prof A F M Yousuf Haider, Prof Sadrul Amin, economist Abu Ahmed, Federal Journalists Union president Ruhul Amin Gazi, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, advisor Ahmed Azam Khan and former vice-chancellor of Jahangirnagar University Prof Mustahidur Rahman.
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