The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The ninth parliamentary polls will be held on December 29 and upazila on January 22, as the Election Commission yesterday announced fresh schedules deferring the elections by 11 days and 25 days respectively.

Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda announced the new date yesterday after hectic negotiations with top government functionaries and representatives from all major parties.

"The changes have been made to ensure all party participation in the election and we hope that these amendments will be acceptable to all," Dr Huda said at a crowded press briefing at his Secretariat.

"I think with this announcement, there will be no uncertainty about the elections and all parties will launch their preparedness for the polls," the CEC said at the press conference.

The Commission also extended the deadline for filing nomination papers for the national elections by a week to November 30 and for the upazila elections to December 13.

Scrutiny of nomination papers submitted by national election candidates will be held on December 3 and 4. December 11 is the last date for the withdrawal of nomination.

Upazila candidates' paper scrutiny will be on December 17 and 19. The last date for withdrawal is December 31.

The election schedule was first announced on November 2 but amended twice on November 9 and on November 19 keeping the election dates-parliamentary polls on Dec 18 and Upazila polls on December 28-the same.

This is the third change in the election schedule following threats from BNP chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia to boycott the long awaited election.

Since then, advisers of the interim government had been ferrying between the parties and to try and resolve the standoff.

With no consensus reached, the government said on Wednesday it would stick to its original plan and there would be no delay.

But 24 hours later the BNP said it would take part in the polls if the date was moved to December 28 and the emergency lifted, prompting EC to begin talks with both sides again.

"I clearly say that we will take part in elections on December 28 to restore democracy and to establish the basic rights of the people," said Khaleda Zia late Thursday.

After intense negotiations in the face of BNP's demand to push back the election date last week, the CEC on Saturday said they were going to defer the election date for nine to 11 days.

Yesterday, the Commission rescheduled the polls and the CEC announced it at a crowded press conference at his office.

The Commission, however, decided not to scrap Section (e) of the Representation of the People Order (RPO) committing to check the abuse of the rule.

The CEC said any kind of allegation against the candidates would have to be placed in writing and then the Commission would conduct an investigation into the allegation.

"Then a full hearing will be arranged and the commission will take decision on the basis of a majority opinion."

Dr Huda also said the candidates should not get worried about these issues as they can go to the higher court if they dislike the decision taken by the Commission. "There'll be enough safeguards for them," he added.

Dr Huda mentioned that these rules should be retained for those who could violate the electoral rules and code of conduct.

He said the Commission would strongly recommend the caretaker government to lift the emergency after the withdrawal of candidature as both the contending electoral alliances have demanded it.

The CEC said, "We've already told the government to withdraw the emergency after withdrawal of candidature."

About the changed schedules, he said the commission today discussed with both the big alliances of BNP and AL the matter and listened to them before changing the election schedules for the third time.

"They've given us the necessary clarifications about some matters," he said about the last-minute parleys with delegations from the two rival political camps for untying the Gordian knot.

He said the commission hoped that the newly announced election schedules would be acceptable to all the political parties

Election Commissioners M Sohul Hussain and Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain and EC secretary M Humayun Kabir, among others, were present at the press briefing.