The envoys of the European Union have called upon the main opposition BNP not to boycott the upcoming elections and urged to engage in a dialogue with the ruling party to resolve the impasse centring the interim period government. In reply, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia said that there is no point in participating in the elections that were not acceptable to the people of the country.
“In our messages today to the Opposition Leader we stressed the need to avoid a boycott of the elections and disruption of public life. We encourage the opposition to engage in dialogue and not to mount a boycott,” Ambassador William Hanna, the head of EU delegation in Bangladesh, said while reading out a statement to the reporters after a meeting with Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan office on Thursday evening. Led by Hanna, the EU team comprised of Ambassadors of eight EU countries – Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Britain, France, the Netherlands and Germany.
“What is use of taking part in elections if they were not acceptable to the people?” Khaleda was quoted by BNP vice-chairman Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury as telling the envoys.
The EU envoys also urged the opposition to refrain from further hartals which are jeopardising the country’s growth and hurting the most vulnerable parts of the population.
They also called upon BNP and its partners to condemn political violence, and refrain from such violence before, during or after the elections.
Quoting the BNP Chairperson, Shamsher Mobin said that BNP would continue its ‘peaceful’ programmes to realise the democratic and constitutional demands of the people.
The Ambassadors expressed concern over the recent attacks on minorities and condemned such attacks.
Khaleda also condemned the recent attacks on the minorities, said Shamsher Mobin.
Describing the next few weeks as critical for democracy in Bangladesh, Ambassador Hanna said, “The EU’s role in supporting democracy in the past in Bangladesh is recognised, and this remains central to our cooperation.”
“Because of this we have requested meetings with both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. Today we have met with the Opposition Leader, and we expect to meet with the Prime Minister later,” he said.
Hanna also said that the EU envoys are deeply concerned at the continued confrontation between the parties and opposed to all political violence.
“We wish to encourage a political solution to the current problem,” he said, adding, “We renew our call for immediate dialogue between the two major parties.
Shamsher Mobin said that during the meeting Khaleda Zia expressed her party’s readiness to engage in a dialogue with the ruling party.
On the upcoming elections, Ambassador Hanna said, “We aim to facilitate transparent, inclusive and credible elections. We encourage both sides to build confidence that the elections will be conducted fairly. We continue to support the technical work of the Election Commission.”
He also made known EU’s readiness to deploy an election observation mission to observe the upcoming elections.
“We hope that the elections will produce a sustainable outcome which will be acceptable for all the main political forces,” said Hanna, who did not take any question from the reporters.
-With The Independent input
