Dhaka,  Saturday
05 October 2024

Sustainable electoral environment must be ensured

Editor, The Daily Messenger

Published: 11:56, 30 September 2024

Sustainable electoral environment must be ensured

Photo : Collected

The international community has come forward with the reforms undertaken by the Interim government led by Nobel laureate professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus. They applauded this initiative. In a meeting with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. Yunus spoke about six commissions formed by his interim government to recommend important reforms in elections, civil administration, judiciary, anti-corruption and the constitution.

He said that the government will discuss the recommendations of the commission with the political parties. The date of the election will be announced once the consensus on the reforms is reached and the voter list is drawn up. The Chief of Army Staff General Waker-uz-Zaman in an interview with Reuters news agency called for national elections within 18 months. 

Various parties, including the BNP, have expressed their support for the army chief's statement. BNP believes that if the government is sincere, it is possible to hold the National Assembly elections within the next 18 months after the necessary reforms. The party also expects a roadmap from the government regarding the timing of the elections.

Addressing foreign friends, the chief adviser said, the sacrifice of the youth has created a great opportunity for us. We don't want to miss this opportunity. The youth want to build a new Bangladesh through radical changes in the existing state structure and institutions. Its implementation requires everyone's support. Chief advisor. Muhammad Yunus wants to purify the country again with the youth. For this he has talked about reform initiatives and is starting work accordingly.

However, some political analysts said that on the one hand reforms are being sought, while at the same time there is pressure for early elections. Such a situation is creating pressure on the interim government.
Dr. Dilara Chowdhury, professor of the Government and Politics Department at Jahangirnagar University, spoke to the newspaper about the problems and possibilities of the election. He said, it is very difficult to say whether the election will be possible in one and a half years. It depends on the reforms. Reform is an ongoing process. Everything will depend on the relationship between the government and the party. Elections will depend on how the government engages with political parties. They will take this decision through discussion.

According to analysts, elections should be held only after necessary reforms and elections should be inclusive. So that no party can say that the election took place excluding any particular party and it was one sided. Consensus among all parties is also important for inclusive elections. If someone has made a mistake in politics, it should be left to the people to be judged and voted out. In this case, since the election system of Bangladesh is flawed, the whole system should be reformed to create an election-friendly environment.

In that case, the Fourteenth Amendment can be considered. So that elections can be held under a non-partisan government. In our country, when the election is under a party government, allegations of rigging and favoritism arise. For this, necessary legal and constitutional amendments can be brought to make the electoral system sustainable.

Messenger/Disha

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