Dhaka, Dec 14 (The New Age): The chief election commissioner, Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, said on Friday
that it was becoming increasingly difficult for the commission to ensure
participation of all political parties in the January 5 general
election.
When reporters asked him whether there were still chances
for making the January 5 polls participatory, Rakib said, ‘Things are
getting difficult.’
Talking to newsmen at the EC secretariat in the
city, the CEC, however, said chances would remain for the parties to
take part in the polls if all political parties made a ‘realistic
decision’ and arrived at a political consensus.
‘And if a consensus is arrived at finally, it would be the parties which would instruct us what to do,’ he said.
A
total of 1,107 candidates from 20 political parties, mostly belonging
to the Awami League-led ruling alliance, had submitted nomination papers
for the 10th parliamentary elections with most of the political
parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led opposition
alliance, boycotting the polls.
After the scrutiny, the number of
valid candidates stood at 880 on Thursday and many others, including
those nominated by HM Ershad’s Jatiya Party, withdrew their candidatures
by Friday, the last date for doing so.
EC officials said about 70
candidates of Awami League and Anwar Hossain Manju-led Jatiya Party-JP
had so far been elected unopposed. They said the number was expected to
increase.