EC discusses polls date with four-party

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FE Report
A four-party alliance delegation, led by vice-chairman of the BNP, held meeting with the Election Commission (EC) on Friday on its latest proposal on holding next general election on December 28.
The EC is scheduled to meet with the Awami-League-led grand alliance today (Saturday) to discuss the timing of the polls.
UNB adds: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda said Friday the Commission's only target was to hold the long-stalled parliament election with all political parties in the fray as the BNP-led four-party alliance talked to the EC for deferring the polls.
Dr Huda, who was passing through a very critical stage to bring major parties in the election race by breaking the ice and kept changing the election schedule, made the remark after a hectic meeting with the BNP-led four-party alliance.
"Our discussion was satisfactory," he told reporters while leaving his office late in the afternoon on a rather busy weekend for the Election Commission (EC) due to dilemmas over the polls.
Dr Huda expressed the hope that they would sit with the Awami League-led grand alliance, the other side in the tug-of-war, today (Saturday) in their bid to work out a consensus on the timing of the elections, which were once ditched amid a political crisis in January last year.
The Commission was now holding fresh talks with the key players in power politics to reschedule the election date as December 28 from December 18 in a bid to accommodate the BNP-led alliance in the fray.
Another report adds: A four-party alliance team led by BNP vice chairman MK Anwar Friday held a threadbare parley with the EC a day after former Premier Khaleda Zia made their latest proposition accepting the EC proposal for holding the general election on December 28.
The BNP chairperson, however, set three preconditions for their participation in the parliamentary polls. She demanded that the state of emergency be lifted following the withdrawal of candidature, article 91(e) of the ROP repealed and upazila elections deferred by a month.
"We'd important discussion," Anwar told reporters after their two-hour meeting with CEC Shamsul Huda and election commissioners Sohul Hossain and Sakhawat Hossain at the EC secretariat.
He said the discussion focused on details of Khaleda Zia's propositions for making the elections successful.
Asked whether the Commission accepted December 28 as new polling-day, Anwar said they were able to convince the Commission about the alliance's position. "We hope the Commission will take necessary steps considering our position."