The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Awami League (AL) president Sheikh Hasina yesterday told a foreign delegation that if voted to power AL would pick an additional deputy speaker from the opposition to make the parliament more effective.

This was stated by Hasina's Assistant Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud while briefing newsmen on the outcome of Hasina's meeting with UN delegation headed by Francese Vendrell at her Sudha Sadan residence.

The AL chief informed the delegation that her party is completely ready for the upcoming parliamentary polls to uphold democracy, regardless of BNP's conditional participation. "The UN delegates asked Sheikh Hasina if AL will run the election in case BNP finally decides not to go for it. She said her party is always ready for the polls for upholding and safeguarding democratic practices," Hasan said.

During the meeting Hasina further told the delegation that they will invite different parties to nominate chairmen for various parliamentary committees and work cohesively to render the parliament more effective, he added.

Francese Vendrell told reporters that they had met the AL president to discuss the pre-polls situation with her.

"What we have observed so far seems quite all right. The UN will not send any observer to cover this election. The EU and the Commonwealth will be sending election observers instead,' he added.

Replying to a query, Francese said, "We want the state of emergency to be lifted before the polls; no one would like an election to be held under the emergency and if the emergency is unavoidable, it might be there just superficially."

AL presidium member Motia Chowdhury, two former ambassadors Muhammad Zameer and Ziauddin and Hasina's information secretary Abul Kalam Azad were present.