Tuesday, November 5, 2024

President may be elected Feb 18

BNP wants Iajuddin to be impeached
Shakhawat Liton and Rashidul Hasan
The main opposition BNP wants to see President Iajuddin Ahmed impeached for ‘violating the constitution by failing as the chief adviser to hold the parliamentary polls within the stipulated 90 days’.
Policymakers of the ruling Awami League (AL) however do not subscribe to the BNP’s views on grounds for the possible impeachment.
They think the president had ‘flouted the constitution by assuming the chief adviser’s role’ in the first place.
Against this backdrop, the Election Commission (EC) yesterday informed Speaker Abdul Hamid about its plans to hold the presidential election on February 18 as Iajuddin’s tenure had long expired, sources in the EC said.
The commission will unveil the formal schedule once it has the speaker’s consent. If the election is not uncontested, the House will be the polling venue, added the sources.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already announced that veteran Awami Leaguer Zillur Rahman will be her party’s nominee for the presidency.
BNP, which had Iajuddin as president following AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury’s resignation in June 2002, now seeks his removal from office out of sheer displeasure with the way he had acted, said party sources.
“We are planning to initiate impeachment proceedings against the president for his gross misconduct. We will discuss the issue with the ruling party,” senior BNP lawmaker Salauddin Quader Chowdhury told The Daily Star yesterday.
The opposition however lacks the strength needed to bring off the bid alone as the treasury bench enjoys a three-fourth majority in parliament.
BNP and its allies Jamaat-e-Islami and Bangladesh Jatiya Party have only 31 seats in the 300-member legislature, far from the required majority of at least 151 legislators.
“They [BNP] want to impeach the president for his failure to hold parliamentary election on January 22, 2007. We might want the impeachment for his taking over as the chief adviser in breach of the constitution,” AL presidium member Suranjit Sengupta told The Daily Star yesterday.
Contacted via phone, Amir Hossain Amu, another member of AL presidium, said their party has not had any discussions in this regard.
“We might discuss the issue if we receive any such proposal,” he added.
Earlier on Sunday the BNP-led opposition lawmakers boycotted Iajuddin’s address to the inaugural session of ninth parliament.
They accused him of dishonouring the presidential oath to defend the constitution.
Speaking at a discussion yesterday, BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain said the president should be impeached for violation of the constitution.
The same day BNP Vice-president and lawmaker MK Anwar said they would support any move to impeach the president.
Iajuddin took over as the chief adviser of the caretaker government on October 29, 2007, setting off a huge controversy. But he failed abjectly to discharge duties neutrally, leading to 1/11.
His bias towards BNP prompted the AL-led grand alliance to boycott the parliamentary election then scheduled for January 22, 2007.
As things threatened to spiral out of control, Iajuddin was forced to step down as the chief adviser on January 11 that year.
He also had to declare a state of emergency and cancel the general election, which was set to be held with the participation of only BNP-led four-party alliance and some minor parties.
Fakhruddin Ahmed replaced Iajuddin as the caretaker administration chief, and had a new council of advisers. His two-year rule culminated in a free and fair parliamentary election on December 29 last year.
The BNP-led alliance took an unprecedented thumping in the polls that AL-led grand alliance won by a landslide.
Article 52 of the constitution says, “The President may be impeached on a charge of violating this Constitution or of grave misconduct, preferred by a notice of motion signed by a majority of the total number of members of the Parliament and delivered to the speaker, setting out the particulars of the charges.”

Courtesy: thedailystar.net

Related News

Sajek, Khagrachari now open to visitors after being closed for over a month

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The tourism restriction imposed in Sajek valley of Rangamati and Khagrachhari for over a month was lifted today allowing visitors after 45 days. Rangamati Deputy Commissioner Mosharraf Hossain Khan announced the lifting of travel bans at the popular Sajek Union in Baghaichhari Upazila. Similarly, the Khagrachari Deputy Commissioner has also lifted ... Read more

Tourist access to suspend in St Martins in February

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government has decided that tourist access to Saint Martin’s Island will be suspended in February to protect the island’s fragile ecology and ensure environmental preservation. Tourists will be allowed to visit the island from November to January, with overnight stays prohibited in November. In December and January, tourists can stay ... Read more

Public univs to accommodate 37pc GPA 5 achievers

Shahin Akhter Around 63 per cent of examinees securing a Grade Point Average of 5 in this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate and equivalent examinations will not be able to get admitted to the public universities across the country due to lack of seats. Though the private universities in the country have sufficient seats to accommodate ... Read more

297 killed by lightning in eight months

News Desk : dhakamirror.com At least 297 people have been killed and 73 injured in incidents of lightning strikes across the country between February and September this year, according to Save the Society and Thunderstorm Awareness Forum (SSTAF). In the eight months, lightning strikes killed 152 people while they were doing agricultural works, SSTAF said ... Read more

Flood death toll climbs to 59, over 5.4 million affected

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Fifty-nine people, including 41 men, six women and 12 children, died in the devastating flood as deaths of five more people were reported on Saturday. So far, 14 deaths have been reported in Cumilla, six in Chattogram, 23 in Feni, nine in Noakhali, three in Cox’s Bazar, and one each in ... Read more

Flood death toll reaches 13, 4.5m affected in 11 districts

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Around 13 people have been killed and 4.5 million affected by floods in 11 districts of Bangladesh, the disaster management and relief ministry said Friday, reports AFP. Thousands of people awaiting emergency rescue remained beyond electricity and mobile network coverage as a flash flood unleashed by heavy rains and an onrush ... Read more

Bangladesh ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia freed

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia has been officially released. Former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was released on Tuesday, a day after Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as PM and fleeing the country amid an unprecedented student-led mass uprising against her authoritarian regime. The decision was revealed ... Read more

Eid-ul-Azha on June 17

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The holy Eid-ul-Azha will be celebrated in Bangladesh on June 17 (Monday) as the crescent moon of the Zilhaj month was sighted in Bangladesh’s sky on Friday evening (7 June). The National Moon Sighting Committee came up with the decision after reviewing information about the sighting of the moon at a ... Read more

Cyclone Remal: 40 dead animals found, 17 rescued hurt in Sundarbans

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The forest department officials on Tuesday said that so far they found 39 dead deer and a pig in the Sundarbans after the severe cyclone Remal that hit the forest on Sunday. Primarily they have estimated infrastructural damage of Tk 6.27 crore in the forest while the total damage, including animals ... Read more

Cyclone Remal claims at least 14 lives, affects nearly 37.58 lakh people in 19 districts

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Following its devastating impact into Bangladesh on Sunday night, Cyclone Remal has affected over 37.58 lakh people in 19 districts and taken at least 14 lives. While the cyclone has weakened into a deep depression, hundreds of villages in the southern parts of the country remain submerged. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department ... Read more

Alert issued as Cyclone Remal develops

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A weather alert has been issued by the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) as a low-pressure system in the southwest and west central Bay of Bengal gains strength, potentially developing into Cyclone Remal by Saturday. The system, currently moving northeastward, is expected to transform into a depression by early Friday. By Saturday, ... Read more

Cyclone ‘Remal’ likely to hit Bangladesh coasts on 26 May: Meteorologist

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Cyclone Remal is likely to make landfall between 6:00am and 12:00pm on 26 May in Bangladesh, affecting coastal areas from the Barguna in Barishal Division to Cox’s Bazar in the Chattogram Division, a meteorologist said today (21 May). The front of the cyclone may begin to enter coastal areas after 6:00am, ... Read more

5 consecutive days holiday for Eid-ul-Adha

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Government employees are scheduled to get five consecutive days off on Eid-ul-Azha. This includes two days of weekly holidays (Friday and Saturday) followed by another three days for Eid, according to government holiday list. Eid-ul-Azha is likely to be celebrated on June 17 this year.

Heavy rains, storms forecast for entire week

Schools open today after heatwave closures News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) forecasts heavy rainfall with thunderstorms across the country this week, starting on Tuesday and lasting through Saturday. As per the analysis of mathematical model of rainfall index, Bangladesh is likely to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall with thunderstorms starting ... Read more

Waiting for the rain

Tawsia Tajmim As the sun blazes relentlessly, desperate craving rises for rain, for nothing soothes Mother Nature quite like its cool embrace. After a brutal month-long heatwave, residents of Chattogram, Sylhet, and Dhaka finally caught a break with some rain on 2 May. However, the downpour was not strong enough to completely wash away the ... Read more

Hajj registration extended till Jan 18

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government, in a notice issued yesterday, extended the Hajj registration deadline for 2024 until January 18. It said aspiring Hajis would have to primarily deposit Tk 2.05 lakh, while the rest should be paid by February 29 for final registration. One has to pay Tk 5,78,840 under the general package, ... Read more

Dense fog disrupts communications across Bangladesh

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Cold and dense fog continued to disrupt life with road, air and waterways communication remaining suspended in the early hours of Tuesday as Bangladesh braces for this winter’s first cold wave likely to set in today. Authorities also confirmed until Tuesday the death of 14 people in cold-related diseases and road ... Read more

27,000 GPA 5 achievers not to get seat in public universities

Shahin Akhter Over 27,000 GPA 5 achievers in this year’s HSC and equivalent examinations cannot be admitted to the public universities due to fewer seats. A total of 92,595 examinees secured GPA 5 out of total 10,67,852 passed in the Higher Secondary Certificate examinations this year. But there are around 65,400 seats at the public ... Read more

Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jolts Dhaka, other parts of Bangladesh

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Bangladesh this morning, the United States Geological Survey said, with no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake jolted different parts of the country including Dhaka around in Ramganj of Cumilla at 9:35am, reports The Daily Star quoting Meteorologist Rubayet Kabir of Bangladesh Meteorological Department. The quake ... Read more

250cc Bajaj Pulsar N250 launched in Bangladesh

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Uttara Motors, the manufacturer and distributor of Bajaj motorcycles in Bangladesh, has recently launched The Pulsar N250 motorcycle. Pulsar N250 comes with a price tag of Tk339,999 and is available in three different colours. The motorcycle with a 250 cc oil-cooled engine has got dual channel antilock braking system (ABS). Indian ... Read more