The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

The National Alliance for Election Monitoring (NAEM), a coalition of election observers, yesterday urged all political parties to take part in the coming elections for giving democracy an institutional shape in the greater national interest.

With this end in view, they said, the political parties should take a fresh vow to shun the path of destructive politics and expel such leaders, who are responsible for intense sufferings in public life over the decades.

The NAEM leaders made the call at a press conference at the auditorium of Women's Voluntary Association (WVA). Chief Executive Officer of BROTEE Sharmeen Murshid, also member-secretary of NAEM, in a written statement urged the caretaker government to lift the state of emergency ahead of elections.

The press conference was also attended, among others, by Zakir Hossain of Nagorik Uddyog, Aminur Rasul of Unnayan Dhara, Nazim Uddin Anon of SUN and James of IPDS.

Sharmeen Murshid urged the Election Commission to register the polls' observers through spot investigation into their activities to ensure their transparency and accountability in such an important national event.

In her statement, she was critical about the activities of international polls' observers during the past elections in Bangladesh as most of their instructions went against diplomatic norms.

To ensure the neutrality of polls' observers during the coming elections, Zakir Hossain said political parties should hold dialogue with the Election Commission in this regard.

"The NAEM election observers will use several necessary methods during the upcoming elections to help further strengthen the country's democratic process," he said.