Most of the Awami League’s incumbent lawmakers, candidates and
grass-roots leaders want inclusive elections after resolution of the
current political crisis.
As New Age spoke to least 50 AL leaders, mostly incumbent lawmakers, and
candidates from across the country for the national polls scheduled for
January 5, they said that the Election Commission should consider
changing the polls schedule if the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and
other parties agreed to join elections within the constitutional
framework.
They also said that it would be difficult for the government to
establish the elections as credible and acceptable if major political
parties did not join the elections.
Most of the AL candidates feared whether they could conduct election
campaigns and ensure voter turnout. They said that they might face
strong resistance from the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami during campaigns and
on the polling day.
Former Sylhet mayor Badruddin Kamran, also president of the Sylhet city
Awami League, told New Age that the elections would not be acceptable
and credible if there were no competition in the elections.
‘So I personally want the elections to be inclusive. If required, the
Election Commission should defer the polls schedule for this,’ he said.
AL lawmaker Sanjida Khatun, also a candidate for the Dhaka 4
constituency, told New Age that she did not want to be elected
unopposed.
‘I had two competitors. The commission has already cancelled the
nomination of one of the candidates. If all the parties, including the
BNP, had participated, there could have been a competition,’ she said.
ASM Firoj, the AL candidate for the Patuakhali 2 constituency, said that
there was no alternative to elections for the continuity of the
democratic process but the elections must be participatory.
‘We never want one-sided elections. We are still hopeful about a
resolution to the political crisis and the participation of all parties
in the elections,’ he said.
Iqbalur Rahim, the AL candidate for the Dinajpur 3 constituency, said
that he was still hopeful about a consensus being reached among the
parties. He said said that the AL-led government would need to hold the
elections in the interest of the continuity of the democratic process
but the elections would not be acceptable by keeping two major political
parties — the BNP and the Jatiya Party — outside the electoral race.
‘I hope that the Jatiya Party would remain in the polls race and the BNP
would also join the polls after reaching an understanding with the
government,’ he said.
An AL candidate from Rajshahi said that he had fears of more violence
before the elections and was afraid of going to his constituency for
campaigns as the BNP and Jamaat might attack ruling party men during the
campaigns.
AL lawmaker Afaz Uddin Ahmed, whis is a candidate for the Kustia 1
constituency, said that they were making preparations for elections. ‘As
part of our preparations, we have already asked grass-roots leaders and
activists to convince people to go to the polling centres so that the
democratic process could continue,’ he said.
The AL candidate of the Jessore 5 constituency Khan Tipu Sultan said
that the elections would be held with more than 60 per cent voter
turnout if HM Ershald-led Jatiya Party stayed in the race and the law
enforcement agencies could ensure safety of voters.
A leader of Chittagong district Awami League said that it would not be
wise for his party to hold elections without the Jatiya Party and the
BNP.
‘The Awami League at least should try its best to convince Ershad to
stay in the race even by meeting his demand. The elections will,
otherwise, be one-sided and not acceptable,’ he said.
The Awami League’s candidate for the Bogra 5 constituency Habibur Rahman
said they did not want violence and loss of lives and public property
before and after the elections.
‘We want a permanent solution so that no violence can take place in
future,’ he said adding that they were likely to face strong resistance
from the BNP and Jamaat during campaigns if their participation in the
elections could not be ensured. (source)