The Election Commission (EC) has sent letters to the political parties to learn about their positions in the 10th Parliament so that 50 women candidates can be elected to the reserved seats of the national assembly. “We need to know the parties’ positions — whether they are in coalition or are independent. Then we can distribute the seats among the political parties so that they can choose their candidates as per the Constitution,” EC member Mohammad Shah Nawaz told The Independent on Monday.
He said, “We have plans to hold the elections as per the law within the shortest possible time. The 50 reserved seats will be proportionately allocated to the parties represented in Parliament,” he added.
According to the EC secretariat, it has sent letters to seven parties — the Awami League (AL), Jatiya Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), Workers’ Party of Bangladesh, Tarikat Federation, Jatiya Party (Monju), Bangladesh Nationalist Front (BNF) and 13 Independent candidates.
“The parties were asked to inform us of their positions — whether they wish to join any big party or alliance — and the Independent candidates were asked to inform us if they wished to join any party or alliance,” Shah Nawaz said.
According to the EC secretariat, AL will get 38 seats, JP six seats, JSD and Workers’ Party one seat each and the Independent candidates will get two seats.
With this, the EC has started to close the chapter on the 10th Parliamentary poll by making preparations for elections to the reserved seats for women.
“We are set to carry out the task in the proper manner, in accordance with the law which was enacted in 2004 and practised in 2008,” commissioner Shah Nawaz said.
Courtesy of The Independent
