Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday said that the forthcoming national election would be unique, describing it as the election of the people and all political parties, rather than of the interim government.
This election will represent the aspirations for building the future Bangladesh and the courage to stand independently and run the country in its own way, said Yunus during a meeting with the leaders of seven political parties and one religious organisation at the state guest house Jamuna in Dhaka.
At the meeting, political leaders raised concerns focusing on the law and order, election oversight, and state reforms.
They said that a nationwide breakdown of the law and order could threaten the credibility of the polls.
The parties also urged the government to form a cross-party monitoring committee to oversee the election environment and respond to violence.
Chief adviser urged all political parties to remain cautious, warning that those opposed to the interim government鈥檚 efforts to see the election through would attempt to create obstacles and even to foil the polls, with early signs of such attempts already visible, chief adviser鈥檚 press secretary Shafiqul Alam said at a briefing after the meeting.
According to the press secretary, the chief adviser also said that the election should provide a positive experience for those who had never voted before, as well as for those who had previously faced bitter experiences, adding that no one should be able to claim they were denied the right to vote.
Amar Bangladesh Party president Mojibur Rahman Monju said that during the meeting they raised concern over the lack of coordination and authority within the government and law enforcement agencies.
The party proposed that chief adviser should hold a nationwide consultation with all security forces to strengthen discipline and coordination, and suggested forming joint political鈥搇aw enforcement committees at national and local levels to ease constituency-level tensions.
Ganosamhati Andolan chief coordinator Zonayed Saki also said that the interim government鈥檚 failure to reform state institutions had weakened the law and order and increased political uncertainty.
He called for a cross-party monitoring committee, including representatives of political parties, the government, and the Election Commission, to oversee the election environment and address any outbreaks of violence.
Saki stressed that without such measures, the political climate could become the main obstacle to holding the polls on time.
Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh joint secretary general Azizul Haque urged the government to restore the constitutional principle of faith and trust in Allah and include references to key historical events in the July Charter.
He said that their organisation called for the Shapla Chattar crackdown to be recognised as a massacre and for the recognition of those killed during the anti-Modi protests in 2021.
The organisation also demanded justice over the recent attack on Gono Odhikar Parishad president Nurul Haque Nur.
Islami Andolan Bangladesh presidium member Ashraf Ali Akon called on the government either to adopt proportional representative system in the upcoming election or to hold a national referendum on the issue.
He also criticised the breakdown of law and order nationwide, saying that without urgent reforms, a level-playing field for the election could not be guaranteed.
Nagorik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Gono Odhikar Parishad general secretary Rashed Khan, Liberal Democratic Party president Oli Ahmad, among others attended the meeting.
Earlier, on Sunday, Yunus met with leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the BangladeshJamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizens鈥� Party.
