Polls to be held under state of emergency: adviser

The military-controlled interim government will keep the state of emergency in force to ensure security for voters during the ninth parliamentary elections scheduled to be held on December 18.
‘We will keep the state of emergency in force for ensuring the security of the common voters,’ the commerce and education adviser, Hossain Zillur Rahman, told reporters at the secretariat on Tuesday, and added that any provisions against electioneering in the Emergency Powers Rules would be removed.
He said the government’s main goals ahead were to conduct an effective election and ensure post-election stability through negotiations with political parties.
Communications adviser Ghulam Quader, law adviser AF Hassan Ariff and LGRD and cooperatives adviser Anwarul Iqbal were also present at the press briefing, which was held after a meeting of the panel of advisers to discuss how to carry out political negotiations for ‘smooth transition to democracy’.
Zillur said the government was creating an atmosphere that will be congenial for the elections. ‘Any provisions in the emergency rules that obstruct political activities will be removed for the sake of meaningful elections.’
The recent polls to four city corporations and nine municipalities under the state of emergency were a rehearsal for the government, ‘where a record number of people from the minority groups cast their votes’, he claimed.
‘We should not neglect the creation of a sense of security in the common people…We will continue the emergency as there is a possibility of violence. We want to check intimidation and influence of black money in the elections,’ said the adviser in an attempt to explain the reasons for government’s determination to conduct the national polls under the state of emergency.
Referring to the planned dialogue between the government and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Zillur said the party was now very eager to talk with the government. ‘Very soon we will set a date for the talks with BNP as we have already sat with the other parties.’
Replying to another query, he expressed the hope that the two major leaders — Awami League’s president Sheikh Hasina and BNP’s chairperson Khaleda Zia — would sit across a table for a discussion. ‘They should initiate the move and the government will play its supportive role,’ said the adviser.
As for the aspirations of the common people for qualitative changes in the nation’s politics, he said all including the political parties have their roles to play for achieving the target.

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