next nat’l election

JP wants RPO changes for army deployment

Jatiya Party (JP-Ershad), the main opposition in parliament, is likely to seek changes in the Representation of the People Order (RPO) so that it incorporates the provisions of deploying defence forces in the general elections. Senior JP leaders said that during their talks with the Election Commission (EC) they will suggest that the next parliamentary elections are held in a free, fair, and credible manner so that no question is raised against it. According to the constitution, the next polls are due on January 28, 2019, at the latest. “We will submit a set of proposals, including some innovative ideas to free the next polls of controversy,” JP secretary general ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader told The Independent yesterday.

Replying to a question over army deployment in the next polls, Hawlader, also a spokesperson of the party, said, “Yes, we may propose making certain changes to the RPO so that it incorporates the provision of deploying defence forces in the general elections.”

Replying to another question about the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies, he said, “We have no objection if the EC delimits the boundary of the parliamentary constituencies for the sake of holding fair elections.”

JP co-chairman G M Quader told this correspondent yesterday, “We want free, fair, and credible elections and we will submit our proposals to the EC for that.”

The EC made an amendment to the RPO in 2009, dropping the words “armed forces” from the definition of law enforcement agencies, due to which the deployment of defence forces is no more obligatory during polls.

The EC will hold dialogues with three mainstream political parties—Awami League (AL), BNP, and JP—in October. The EC will sit for talks with the Ershad-led JP on October 9, BNP on October 15, and AL on October 18.

The EC has started holding talks with the political parties from August 24. It has held talks with 23 political parties so far. Most of them have proposed the deployment of the army for holding the next polls in a free and fair manner.

The alliance partners of the AL have also submitted proposals to the EC during their dialogues with it. During their talks, the alliance partners mainly focused on holding the next general elections under the incumbent government, said alliance leaders.

They said the alliance partners will propose to the EC that the next general polls are held according to the constitution, which stipulates that the EC will arrange the polls under the supervision of the incumbent Prime Minister.

Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu) general secretary Shirin Akhtar told this correspondent, “We will submit similar proposals to the EC during our dialogue and we will emphasize especially on holding the next polls under the management of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.”

However, the AL will propose to the EC that the 2019 polls are held in line with the constitution. The party may propose that the army is deployed as a striking force only and the electronic voting machines (EVMs) are used in the next general elections.

next natl election

JP wants RPO changes for army deployment

Jatiya Party (JP-Ershad), the main opposition in parliament, is likely to seek changes in the Representation of the People Order (RPO) so that it incorporates the provisions of deploying defence forces in the general elections. Senior JP leaders said that during their talks with the Election Commission (EC) they will suggest that the next parliamentary elections are held in a free, fair, and credible manner so that no question is raised against it. According to the constitution, the next polls are due on January 28, 2019, at the latest. We will submit a set of proposals, including some innovative ideas to free the next polls of controversy, JP secretary general ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader told The Independent yesterday. Replying to a question over army deployment in the next polls, Hawlader, also a spokesperson of the party, said, Yes, we may propose making certain changes to the RPO so that it incorporates the provision of deploying defence forces in the general elections. Replying to another question about the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies, he said, We have no objection if the EC delimits the boundary of the parliamentary constituencies for the sake of holding fair elections. JP co-chairman G M Quader told this correspondent yesterday, We want free, fair, and credible elections and we will submit our proposals to the EC for that. The EC made an amendment to the RPO in 2009, dropping the words armed forces from the definition of law enforcement agencies, due to which the deployment of defence forces is no more obligatory during polls. The EC will hold dialogues with three mainstream political partiesAwami League (AL), BNP, and JPin October. The EC will sit for talks with the Ershad-led JP on October 9, BNP on October 15, and AL on October 18. The EC has started holding talks with the political parties from August 24. It has held talks with 23 political parties so far. Most of them have proposed the deployment of the army for holding the next polls in a free and fair manner. The alliance partners of the AL have also submitted proposals to the EC during their dialogues with it. During their talks, the alliance partners mainly focused on holding the next general elections under the incumbent government, said alliance leaders. They said the alliance partners will propose to the EC that the next general polls are held according to the constitution, which stipulates that the EC will arrange the polls under the supervision of the incumbent Prime Minister. Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu) general secretary Shirin Akhtar told this correspondent, We will submit similar proposals to the EC during our dialogue and we will emphasize especially on holding the next polls under the management of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. However, the AL will propose to the EC that the 2019 polls are held in line with the constitution. The party may propose that the army is deployed as a striking force only and the electronic voting machines (EVMs) are used in the next general elections.