Emergency rule may jeopardise credibility of JS polls, says EIU

---

London-based Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) said the caretaker government and the Election Commission (EC) needed to overcome a number of obstacles in the weeks ahead to ensure that the forthcoming parliamentary polls were free, fair and credible, reports UNB.
The EIU in its October report said barring a deterioration in the security situation, the caretaker government was expected to hand over power to a new government shortly after the parliamentary election on December 18.
It said the election would be regarded as free if members of all political parties in Bangladesh were able to participate.
The report said the recent decision by the caretaker government to grant bail to a number of important politicians, arrested as a result of its anti-corruption drive, had helped fulfil its promise of a free poll.
More importantly, it said the leaders of the two largest political parties, Khaleda Zia of BNP and Sheikh Hasina of Awami League (AL), who were both under investigation for corruption, were now in a position to participate.
Both had been granted bail, and as neither had yet been prosecuted, they could conceivably contest their seats and "one of them could become the next Prime Minister."
It said Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina remained hugely popular figures, but the success of the AL at the elections for city corporations and municipalities in August meant that it was in a favourable position to win.
It said the election would be deemed to be fair if voters were allowed to exercise their democratic rights. There remained uncertainty, however, over whether this condition could be met.
The report said severe restrictions had been placed on civil liberties since emergency rule was imposed on January 11, 2007.
It said concerns over a possible deterioration in the security situation in the run-up to the parliamentary poll were likely to prevent a complete lifting of emergency rule, although the government might relax certain restrictions ahead of and during the election.
Political parties would continue to make the full lifting of the state of emergency a primary condition of their participation in the forthcoming polls.
The EIU said maintaining emergency rule might jeopardise the credibility of the poll, especially if the European Commission decided not to send a delegation to observe the vote.