Major political parties on Thursday welcomed the verdict of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court that reinstated the non-party caretaker government system for the Jatiya Sangsad elections.
The Apex Court on the day delivered the verdict, overturning its 2011 judgement that had abolished the caretaker government system.
The upcoming general election, expected to be held in February next year,聽however, will be held under the interim government and the caretaker system will take effect afterward, the attorney general and lawyers involved in the case said.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, welcoming the verdict, said that the people of the country experienced misrule, oppression and a reign of persecution under an unelected government in the absence of the caretaker government system.
鈥榃ith the verdict, we hope that the next caretaker government will consolidate and make upcoming elections acceptable, and will help institutionalise democracy in the country,鈥� he said.
Although this verdict聽 cannot be implemented during the next Jatiya Sangsad polls, he said, 鈥楾he verdict is nevertheless a signal that future elections will be fair and acceptable, and that the people of Bangladesh will be able to exercise their right to vote.鈥�
The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami also welcomed the verdict and said that there was no alternative to the caretaker government system for holding free and impartial elections.
Jamaat鈥檚 assistant secretary general Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair alleged that the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina pushed the country into a dark era by abolishing the caretaker government system in 2011.
鈥榃ith today鈥檚 verdict, the nation has once again been freed from that darkness,鈥� he said.
He expressed hope that the verdict would bring new stability to the country鈥檚 political, economic, and democratic systems and help Bangladesh move toward development and progress.
Explaining the verdict, law adviser Asif Nazrul, in a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, said that although the court revived the caretaker government provision, the upcoming 13th JS elections would be held under the interim government.
鈥楢s per the constitution, such a caretaker government must be formed within 15 days before or after the dissolution of parliament. Therefore, it can only be constituted after the next parliament completes its term,鈥� he said.
Welcoming the verdict, National Citizens Party member secretary Akhter Hossen said, 鈥楾he nation has been freed from disgrace. The caretaker government system seems the most acceptable form of interim administration to date.鈥�
Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh general secretary Saiful Huq said that the current political crisis began as the electoral system was made partisan.
鈥楬ad the past elections been held under a caretaker government, there would not have been so much bloodshed or the need for mass uprising. Our party welcomes the verdict,鈥� he said.
Saiful also recommended that the next parliament must ensure that the future caretaker governments remain accountable.
Communist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Abdullah Al Kafi Ratan said, 鈥業t would have been better if the caretaker government system had been reinstated ahead of the next general election.鈥�
Islami Andolan Bangladesh on Thursday described the verdict as a 鈥榤ilestone against constitutional anarchy鈥�.
In a statement sent to the media, the party鈥檚 secretary general Yousuf Ahmad said that the institutional process for the peaceful transfer of power in the country has regained its legal status through the verdict.
In a joint statement, Khelafat Majlis amir Abdul Basit Azad and secretary general Ahmad Abdul Kader, said that the one-party fascist rule of the Awami League was prolonged in the country as a consequence of the abolition of the caretaker government system from the constitution.
鈥楾here is no alternative to a non-partisan and neutral caretaker government system to prevent violence during the transition of power. This system will ensure fair elections,鈥� they said.
