BNP’s Khosru seeks immediate election roadmap for democratic transition

BNP senior leader Amir Khosru on Sunday urged the interim government to promptly unveil an election roadmap to reassure people that the country is moving towards elections and the restoration of democracy.

“The suspicions and questions that have arisen among people due to the absence of a specific election roadmap will not bode well for the future of democracy and the electoral process,” he said while talking to reporters after a meeting with the Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) at the BNP Chairperson’s office in Gulshan.

Khosru, a BNP Standing Committee member, said the people of the country are uncertain about when they will regain democratic governance and their rightful ownership of the nation through an election.

“So, an election roadmap must be presented without delay to assure the public that the nation is on the path to restoring democracy. Election is the main vehicle of democracy,” he observed.

As part of BNP’s liaison committee’s ongoing discussions with like-minded political parties on the next election, Khosru, along with BNP Standing Committee member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku and Vice Chairman Barkatullah Bulu, held a meeting with a 10-member BJP delegation led by its Chairman Andalib Rahman Partha.

Khosru said the government should move towards the election after formulating a national charter based on the reform proposals on which political parties have reached a consensus.

“In Bangladesh, we are not going to establish Baksal. It’s a Baksal-like notion that everyone must agree on everything…different parties will have different philosophies, different thoughts and there will naturally be differences of opinion,” he said.

The BNP leader also said there is no scope for reforms beyond the points of consensus among political parties. “To do anything outside of that consensus, one must come through the democratic process, the electoral process and with people’s mandate.”

He said questions remain as to why the issues on which consensus has already been reached are not being presented before the nation.

Khosru mentioned that all political parties have already submitted their reform proposals, and a considerable amount of time has passed since then, with discussions now concluded.

He believes it should not take more than a week to identify where consensus has been reached among the political parties.

“Inform the nation where the consensus has been reached, and based on that consensus, we can sign the charter and move forward with the elections. There is no scope for going beyond this,” the BNP leader said.

“You have to tell the nation that you will proceed with a democratic transition. Preparations are necessary for the election both inside and outside the country,” Khosru said.

He also said those who attended the recent investment summit raised a common question — when the election will be held.

BJP Chairman Andalib Rahman Partha said their position is clear that a national charter should be drawn up based on the reforms on which there is consensus, and the country should proceed towards elections accordingly.

He said while fifty political parties may have differing opinions on various matters, the election cannot be delayed, nor can a murky environment be created, simply because of the expectation of complete unanimity.

In response to a question, Partha said it is possible to hold the election before December.

“I think the people now demand an electoral roadmap without further delay. I believe this government should now focus on that,” he said.

This was the first meeting between BNP and BJP in six years, as Partha had left the BNP alliance after the 2018 election, opposing the party’s decision to join parliament.

The BNP began discussions with its alliance partners on 17 April to work out its next course of action.