CA must issue referendum order as formal decree: Hasnat

Hasnat Abdullah, chief organiser of the National Citizen Party (South), has said Chief Adviser (CA) Muhammad Yunus must issue the order for the referendum, reports bdnews24.com.

He made the remarks while speaking an NCP coordination meeting in Barguna on Saturday.

He said the matter should be resolved 'quickly'.

The order, Hasnat added, must be a formal decree, not an ordinance or notification.

On the allocation of electoral symbols, Hasnat said the Election Commission has yet to provide clear rules.

He noted that it is unclear on what basis the 'Shapla', or 'Water Lily' was not included, while the banana and eggplant were also selected without explanation.

"The commission has not clarified the criteria for including or excluding symbols. Decisions cannot be made on arbitrary or medieval-style thinking. Transparent rules must be in place," Hasnat said.

"The principles used to include or exclude symbols must be shared with us. Our organisational decisions on the matter are now final," he asserted.

On reforms, Hasnat said the NCP will maintain cordial relations with groups that support reform.