"Election has to be free, fair and acceptable": BNP VC on impending polls in Bangladesh

Dhaka [Bangladesh], January 2 (ANI): Abdul Awal Mintoo, Vice-Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has called for immediate, free, and fair elections in Bangladesh.

The former President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry also urged the current government, led by Muhammad Yunus, to consult with other political parties and set a clear timeline for implementing essential reforms in the country.

“That election has to be free, fair and acceptable. I think then we can have an election, we can have an elected government, we can have a constitutionally democratic government as soon as possible. So I think that government should talk to the political parties and decide on a time,” he told ANI.

When asked about his expectations from the government in 2025, Mintoo said, “Well, I expect a lot of good things, but not necessarily that they may or may not happen.”

“What I expect is this, that we need lot of reforms. So it is nothing new in our mind that country need lot of reforms. You know that BNP, seven years ago, has issued a paper called Vision 2030. And in that we had clearly identified lot of areas and the issues to be reformed for the, to improve the life of the Bangladeshi people, improve our rights as a citizen,” he added.

Mintoo mentioned that earlier, they consulted various political parties and prepared a list of reforms, which are yet to be considered by the government.

“During the last agitation, BNP originally has given twenty-seven point reforms. Later on, we discussed with many other political parties and increased to thirty-one points. So obviously, if we all want, reform should be done. But when you talk about the reforms, there is a few type of reforms, the institutional reforms, the constitutional reforms, the, you know, these kind of many reforms, the economic reforms. Some of the reforms require the public acceptance… We have also our own reform program. Once we get that from the government, then there should be discussion between the government and the political parties,” he said.

Mintoo stated that the current government does not belong to any political party, which is why they must consult with other parties and decide on the reforms they will prioritise.

“Since the government does not belong to any political party, they should talk to all political parties and decide on which of the reforms they will undertake immediately. Some of the reforms, like judicial reforms or reforms of the institution, election commission, nobody is stopping them from doing. But the people expect, and as I expect, that reforms should be divided between the institutional, constitutional and kind of social reforms, some political reforms maybe, some economic reforms maybe. So whatever can be done by this government, they should identify that. And they should tell us how long it will take. And then they should talk to the political parties, come to an agreement,” he said. (ANI)