Hold JS election before upazila polls, parties demand

Political parties at the outset of the third-round dialogue with the Election Commission (EC) Saturday demanded that the stalled general election be held before upazila polls and asked for declaring a specific date for the parliamentary elections, reports UNB.brEven, the Jatiya Party (JP) of ex-President HM Ershad backtracked on their demand for upazila polls first and now sided with the mainstream calling for election to the ninth parliament before the local elections.brThe parties also urged the commission to relax the conditions for party registration with extension of the timeframe and withhold the delimitation of the parliamentary constituencies before the general election.brSpecific date for the national elections has to be declared and the upazila elections should be held after the parliamentary polls, president of the Workers Party of Bangladesh Rashed Khan Menon told reporters at the EC secretariat after their dialogue with the EC.brJatiya Party (Ershad), Ganatantri Party, Workers Party of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Samyabadi Dal (ML) sat in dialogue with the Election Commission on the first day of this round of the consultation meant for resolving the remaining points of disagreement over the coming elections.brAfter their meet with the EC, Jatiya Party Chairman and ex-President HM Ershad said the timeframe for party registration is not sufficient with regard to bringing changes in party constitution. We've 10,000 councilors across the country… We'll not be able to hold the council within one month, he said.brAbout upazila election, Ershad said his party earlier had demanded it before general election apprehending that the local-body polls might not be held after general election.brBut now his party would abide by the decision of the commission, in case the upazila election is put behind the parliamentary polls. Upazilas were created by me and the people of the country accepted those well, he said.brMeanwhile, the Election Commission has a plan for holding the long-overdue upazila elections first, along with election to Dhaka City Corporation, tentatively in-between October 23 and 30.brJP leaders Quzi Jafar Ahmed, ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader, Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud and GM Qader were on the JP delegation.brWorkers Party leaders Bimal Biswas, Haider Akbar Khan Rono, Fazley Hossain Badsha and Anisur Rahman Mallik led by Rashed Khan Menon joined the dialogue. They demanded national elections prior to upazila polls.brThe national elections are scheduled to be held in the third week of December and the EC plans to hold polls to at least 250 upazilas in October.brThe third round of dialogue between the EC and political parties began Saturday, in an attempt to smooth the differences brewing over the schedule of upazila and national polls and registration of parties according to new electoral laws.brWPB, with a five-member delegation headed by its president Rashed Khan Menon, was the first party to sit on Saturday with chief election commission ATM Shamsul Huda and commissioners Muhammad Sohul Hussain and M Shakhawat Hussain.brPrior to the dialogue, Menon told journalists We will discuss party registration, the amended representation of the people order and steps to create a genial atmosphere for the national elections.brIn its talks, alongside national elections first, the WPB asked the EC to halt its redrawing of constituencies.brWe have also recommended that the commission eliminate the provision banning front organisations of parties, Menon told reporters after the dialogue.brAnd we have asked the commission to take steps so that parties backed by anti-liberation forces and religious views cannot be registered, he said.brReplying to a question, Menon said, The chief election commissioner has assured us that the commission would take its decisions in consultation with parties.brThey said they discussed with the EC matters of party registration, the revised Representation of People Order (RPO) and election atmosphere.brMenon said We've told the commission to allow party front organisations of teachers and students for the time being.brAsked about the commission's decision, Menon noted that the EC said they would take decision later on, after sitting in dialogue with the rest of the invited political parties. He urged the government to lift the state of emergency immediately for holding a free and fair election.brThe EC later sat with a five-member delegation of Samyabadi Dal.brSamyabadi Dal general secretary Dilip Barua, after the dialogue, told journalists that it had asked the EC to extend the deadline of registration for political parties.brWe have asked the commission to maintain the extension for six months after national elections to fulfill the conditions of the registration, he said.brA five-member team of Bangladesh Samyabadi Dal (ML led by Dilip Barua demanded the announcement of specific date for the general election and extending the timeframe for party registration.brThe conditions for party registration cannot be fulfilled without party convention. So, we've told the EC to make some conditions flexible for the registration, Dilip Barua said.brNurul Islam, president of Ganatontri Party, said party registration is necessary for transparency and accountability, but emergency should be withdrawn in the context of the present situation.brHe urged the commission to put on hold the delimitation of the parliamentary constituencies following the High Court order of stay and called upon the EC not to appeal to the Appellate Division in this regard.brWe've told the EC to hold the general election following the past boundaries of the parliamentary seats, he said.brThe commission will also hold talks with, Ganatantri Party and Jatiya Party (Ershad) Saturday.brElection commissioner Muhammad Sohul Hussain, just before sitting in dialogue, told reporters We are set to start the third round dialogue with political parties. We have heard their views in the media, we want to hear them now directly.brThe EC has invited 16 political parties to the third dialogue.brOn Sunday it will sit with BNP, Communist Party of Bangladesh, Bikalpadhara Bangladesh and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal.brOn Monday, it will hold talks with Liberal Democratic Party, Islami Oikyo Jote, Jatiya Party (JP), Jamaat-e-Islami.brOn Tuesday, the EC is scheduled to sit with Awami League, Krishak Sramik Janata League, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rob) and National Awami Party (Mozaffar).