The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh and Samyabadi Dal said they would favour general election next December while Workers Party demanded holding the polls earlier as the Election Commission Sunday kick-started a second round of dialogue with political parties.

Bikalpa Dhara secretary general Maj (retd) MA Mannan and Samyabadi Dal president Dilip Barua made their observations separately as Chief Election Commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda wanted to know what could be the convenient time for their parties for holding elections if the voters' list is finalized by October.

However, Workers Party and Samyabadi Dal also demanded announcing a tentative date for elections and lifting the state of emergency "immediately".

The EC on Sunday sat with the three political parties to discuss the outcome of its first round of dialogue with the parties on proposed electoral reforms. Election Commissioner M Sohul Hussain and Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain were present at the dialogue held at the EC office with the CEC in the chair.

"It'll be convenient for campaign after Aman paddy harvest in November and polls can be held in December," BDB secretary general Major Mannan, who led an 11-member delegation to the meeting, told the EC during the discussion.

He said elections in Bangladesh are always held in a festive mood, and people would feel relaxed after harvesting home new crops. "Because," he said, "September-October could be difficult time due to rains, storms and floods for election campaigning."

The BDB delegation chief, however, told the Commission that they would not mind if the polls were advanced to September or October. The CEC reminded that September is the month of fasting.

During the dialogue, Dilip Barua, an ally of the Awami League-led 14-party alliance, first preferred elections after Eid-ul-Azha, which means in January 2009. But the CEC said he would not go beyond December this year-the dead end of the timeline set by them for holding stalled polls.

"Elections should be held between December 15 and 25 this year," Barua, who led a 10-member delegation, told reporters later coming out from the dialogue.

He said his party sought specific dates for the elections which will create urgency to complete the preparation of voters' list as well as remove public confusion about the holding of the elections.

However, Workers Party and Samyabadi Dal both demanded holding elections before December. Otherwise, the left-duo observed, the confusion about holding elections would be hanging over. "So, the date of elections should be announced just after the dialogue."

The Samyabadi Dal also asked the EC to recommend the government for lifting the emergency as it would "totally hamper" the elections.

About announcing date for elections, CEC Huda said announcing the date would facilitate the parties, but that would not be wise now.

"We're working as per our target (elections by December 2008), but we're also trying to do it earlier, if possible," he said.

Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon, who led an 8-member delegation to the dialogue, said the only reason for not lifting the state of emergency-when even the Chief Adviser is telling that everything is alright-is "suppressing people's fundamental rights".

"Practicing fair democracy and running the state isn't possible suppressing the fundamental rights… Our demand is the state of emergency has to be lifted just now," he said, adding that elections could not or would not be held under state of emergency.

The chief of the Workers Party, also an ally of the AL-led 14-party alliance, alleged that the executive power of the EC is being curbed. "The Law Adviser is stating that elections can be held under state of emergency, when the CEC is telling the opposite… There are clear contradictions between the statements whereas the caretaker government is obliged to help the CEC…it's not doing that," Menon said.

On the moot point of lifting the emergency, CEC Huda virtually corroborated the politicians' plea as he said he couldn't understand how elections could be held under state of emergency since electoral campaign should have to be facilitated.

"Emergency means 10 people can't assemble… The Commission's formulation of electoral atmosphere is needed so people can move freely and fairly," he said.

Besides emergency, he said, the Election Commission also has asked the CA in their recent meet to gradually withdraw the ban on indoor politics outside Dhaka.

"Otherwise, when the time of registering the parties will come, they would have to change their constitutions as per the Commission's criteria of ensuring democracy within the party. Holding council of the parties will be needed for that, and also the district committees' meeting," said CEC Huda.

About the Workers Party demand for not delimitating the parliamentary constituencies at this moment, the CEC said they are constitutionally bound to do it.

"We'll do the task… There are many people who want to foil the elections, and what will happen if anyone goes to court accusing the Commission of not doing the task," CEC Huda posed question.

About the Samyabadi Dal and Workers Party demand for banning the war criminals from contesting elections, CEC Huda said the matter is not under the EC's jurisdiction and it is not their duty to try the war criminals.

Besides, based on tenor of the entire dialogue with political parties, the EC is going to send a report to the government with recommendations on issues that came out from the dialogue but not under the jurisdiction of the EC.

"The issues like expanding seats in the parliament, abrogating article 70 of the Constitution about floor crossing, restricting the war criminals from elections or politics, bicameral legislative and others would be described in the report with recommendations," he said.

During the dialogue, all the three political parties asked the EC to concentrate on controlling the electoral expenses, whatever it would be, if they want to gift the nation a black money and muscle power-free election.

The camps would have to be strictly monitored camps since these are the main places where most of the money is spent, the parties observed.

However, Samyabadi Dal and Workers Party stand against holding local-body elections prior to national elections as they cited past example of General Zia and Ershad that after garbing power, these two had fortified their positions by holding local elections prior to national elections.