Parties should get more time if needed: CEC
BNP has demanded a six-month extension of time for holding party council. The demand was made by a three-member team led by BNP Vice Chairman M K Anwar which met the CEC ATM Shamsul Huda on Thursday.
M K Anwar said this after coming out from the meeting with election commissioners at EC office yesterday. BNP Joint Secretary General Nazrul Islam Khan and Office Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rijvi Ahmed were other members of the team.
Anwar said the timeframe given by the commission for the political parties to submit permanent party constitution and committees formed through holding council at all levels is not sufficient. Besides, it is quite impossible for BNP to form some 1,23,000 organizing committees throughout the country within July 25.
BNP wants to constitute the committees through holding council at all levels as per RPO and that is why they urged the Election Commission to extend the time. “We think, the commission will consider our rational demands and extend the time. If we want to submit the committees within July 25, it is possible. But the process of constituting of the committees will not be completed according to RPO. Considering all the things, the commission should extend the timeframe for real development of the democracy,” said Anwar.
It may be mentioned that nine political parties have already submitted their applications urging the commission to extend the timeframe.
bdnews24.com, adds: Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda has said parties should get more time, if needed, to submit permanent constitutions as political reform was a lengthy process.
He hinted on Thursday that the Election Commission would apply to the government to amend electoral law to give more time to facilitate reform within political parties.
Huda told reporters that the issue would be decided by the government whether an amendment would be made by an ordinance, during parliament’s recess, or some other way.
“The commission believes it takes time to bring real reforms within political parties.” “Some parties are finding they are not able to finalise their constitutions by the stipulated time. BNP has said they will apply for a time extension,” said Huda.
“The Election Commission will take this into consideration positively to make a decision before the deadline (next Sunday).”
Photo Courtesy: Banglar Chokh
Courtesy of The Bangladesh Today
