Following the announcement of the election schedule for the upcoming parliamentary polls, the ruling Awami League has welcomed the announcement, while the main opposition party BNP has rejected it.
The ruling party members brought out processions across the country immediately after the announcement of the schedule by Chief Election Officer (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal on Wednesday evening.
The Awami League party office was filled with leaders and activists marking the announcement.
Before the announcement, leaders and activists were seen gathering in and around the party's Bangabandhu Avenue office in Gulistan, preparing to bring out a procession to welcome the polls schedule.
Meanwhile, rejecting the election schedule, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that the country was now heading towards a certain conflict.
Abdul Moyeen Khan, a standing committee member of BNP, said that the Awami League is unwilling to embrace the core principles of democracy and is resistant to considering or accommodating different opinions.
He said that the announcement of the election schedule further reinforces what he perceives as a dictatorial inclination akin to the Baksal ideology.
On the other hand, Mujibul Haque Chunnu, secretary general of Jatiya Party, the main opposition in parliament, said that the EC must announce the polls schedule without any alternative. Nevertheless, Chunnu said that despite the current announcement, the schedule could be modified if the government takes the initiative to engage in a dialogue aimed at fostering a conducive atmosphere.
The 12th national parliamentary election will be held on Sunday, January 7, 2024.
The CEC announced the election schedule while addressing the nation at 7pm.
The announcement came amid the BNP's 48-hour blockade, which aims to mount pressure on the Awami League government to resign and make way for the election to be held under a non-partisan administration.