14-party demands specific date for emergency lifting

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The Awami League (AL)-led 14-party alliance Wednesday demanded of the caretaker government to declare a specific date for withdrawing the state of emergency, reports UNB.
The alliance also aired concern over widespread "doubts and apprehensions" surrounding the December 29 parliamentary polls because of haggling about and changing the election schedule several times
Smelling a rat in the improvisations, the combine warned the government against further dillydallying with the parliamentary polls and any change of the election date anymore.
"We strongly ask the government to ensure election on December 29," AL presidium member Amir Hossain Amu said at a press briefing after a meeting of the centre-left combine at AL chief Sheikh Hasina's Dhanmondi office.
Presided over by Amu, the meeting was attended, among others, by Awami League general secretary Abdul Jalil, presidium-members Sajeda Chowdhury, Tofail Ahmed, Abdur Razzak and Suranjit Sengupta, Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) president Hasanul Haque Inu, Gonotantri Party president Nurul Islam, Communist Kendra general secretary Asit Baran Roy, Gono Azadi League president Haji Abdus Samad and Samyabadi Dal president Dilip Barua.
The grouping also asked the Election Commission to repeal the 91(E) provision of the Representation of the People Order Ordinance 2008 that empowered the Election Commission to cancel one's candidature or election on proven violation of electoral rules and call fresh polling.
"One of our major demands was lifting the state of emergency. But the government is yet to fulfil our demand," Amu said, criticising the government.
Asked to comment on Adviser Hossain Zillur and Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed's assurances of lifting the state of emergency, Amu said any sign of removing the state of emergency was yet to be seen.
"The issue of removing the state of emergency is still in abeyance," he remarked.
Amu reiterated the 14-party alliance's another demand for cancelling the present schedule of the upazila polls and announcing fresh schedule for the local-body voting after the general election.
"The upazila poll schedule will have to be deferred minimum by one month after the parliamentary elections," said the Awami League leader.
He informed the journalists that the seat sharing among the 14-party components would be finalised within a very short time.
He said as 14-party is their core coalition, its seat sharing will be finalised earlier than the sharing with the grand alliance components -- Jatiya Party (Ershad), JP (Manju), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
Amu said AL called a presidium members' meeting with Sheikh Hasina in the chair at the Dhanmondi office later in the day (Wednesday) to discuss the 14-party's share of seats in parliament.
He said nominations of Awami League would be revised after finalising the share of seats of the member-parties of the alliance.