The BNP, on Sunday, said the people had passed a “no-confidence verdict” against the government, in the four city corporation polls held a day earlier.
“The government should accept the corporation poll results and resign immediately, paving the way for the next general election to be held under a caretaker government (CG),” BNP spokesperson Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters, at the party’s Naya Paltan office here. “People have said no to the government and expressed their pent-up anger through the civic body polls. Had it been a true democratic government, it would have resigned after this election debacle,” Alamgir said, expressing the BNP’s formal reaction to the election results.
He said the election was a new chapter in the country’s politics. “People ignored threats and hurdles by the ruling party men and gave their mandate against the corrupt and repressive government, for its failure in running the country properly,” he added.
The BNP leader added that the poll results also indicated that the government was left with no alternative, but to restore the non-party CG provision in the Constitution. “We hope that the government would be proactive in accepting the opposition’s demands, including holding the next general election under a CG oversight,” he said.
Alamgir said that the government should try to give the country’s democracy an institutional shape. It should also stop the alleged repression of opposition leaders and activists.
He indirectly termed the polls as fair, but also expressed doubt over the present Election Commission (EC). “Though the polls were a little bit fair this time, we still cannot fully trust the present EC. Its appointment was politically-biased and unconstitutional,” he claimed.
The BNP leader downplayed the opposition’s earlier allegations that the ruling alliance was trying to rig the polls. “Now, it’s not important to dwell on who said what. What is now important is that all the BNP-backed candidates were victorious,” he added.
-With The Independent input
