The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Tuesday turned down the Election Commission's invitation for dialogue, branding the EC 'controversial' and accusing it of indulging in 'biased and motivated' acts.
'The present commission has lost the people's confidence for its weak and partisan attitude. Discussion with such a commission on electoral matters will be of no benefit because it won't ensure the holding of fair elections,' said the letter signed by BNP's acting secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
The BNP said that all the initiatives that the EC has taken since its formation, including registration of political parties, were biased and motivated.
The country's main opposition party said the EC's activities during the regime of the past interim government were carried out at its instruction and were aimed to uproot the BNP and make another party win the polls.
'This controversial commission, at the fag end of its tenure, should not take initiatives to reform and update electoral rules. The job should be left for the next commission,' observed BNP in the letter which was taken to the EC by one of the party's assistant office secretaries.
The tenure of the incumbent commission, formed during the regime of the military-controlled interim government, will expire in February 2012.
The EC has already held talks with several registered political parties to elicit their opinions on further amendment of the electoral laws, and issues like funding of polls expenditure by the state, introduction of e-voting, formulation of rules on demarcation of constituencies and the procedure of appointment of election commissioners.
Election Commissioner M Sakhawat Hossain told newsmen said they would respond to the BNP's letter afterwards.
On June 13 the BNP did not participate in the dialogue with the EC, which later invited the party again to the talks on any day between June 19 and June 21.
BNP's chairperson Khaleda Zia, at a news conference on June 16, rejected the invitation, alleging that the incumbent commission was not impartial.
'BNP's decision [not to join the dialogue] is sad. The Election Commission has nothing to do if anyone does not come,' Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda told reporters on Monday.
Source : New Age
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