Leaders of the ruling party are unwilling to make any comments or react to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda’s statement on Ziaur Rahman.
Several Awami League leaders told the Dhaka Tribune that as a person, KM Nurul Huda has every right to praise anyone he wishes. Hence, he did so by saying “Zaiur Rahman reestablished the multi-party democracy in the country in 1978.” However, being the CEC, he should not have commented on such issue which can create political dilemma.
Although senior leaders of the ruling party do not agree with the CEC’s statement, they are not eager to criticise him or react to his statement. Awami League top brasses have also directed the party central leaders not to make any comments regarding the matter, at a meeting held on October 27 at Awami League’s president’s office at Dhanmondi in the capital, said sources.
Ramesh Chandra Sen, presidium member of Central Working Committee, said: “CEC’s statement on Zia is his personal opinion. His job is to hold a fair and participatory election. He is not tasked with commenting on political leaders.”
Party’s Presidium member Pijush Kanti Bhattacharya told the Dhaka Tribune that while the CEC have praised every political party during the dialogue, but he should not have made such a comment. He (CEC) must remain neutral and should not comment on any political leader or praise political parties.
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“We are impressed as the CEC praised every party. It also hints at how much freedom he has. But he made a wrong comment regarding Zia. He should not have said that,” said Awami League Joint General Secretary Abdur Rahman.
He told the Dhaka Tribune that they have not asked CEC to clarify his statement on Ziaur Rahman during the Election Commission’s dialogue with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
On October 15, during the Election Commission’s dialogue with the BNP, CEC Nurul Huda lauded Ziaur Rahman for restoring multi-party democracy in the country.
He said the government of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had introduced the one-party BAKSAL government through the 4th Amendment to the constitution in 1975.
After Zia got elected president in 1978, the second Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) was formed through the ballot with participation of all major parties in 1979, the CEC added.
Huda also praised BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia for her leadership when she became the country’s first female prime minister in 1991 and also when she assumed office in 2001.
In the press conference on October 26, Nurul Huda defended his remark over BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s “reestablishment of multi-party democracy” in the country in 1978.
The CEC said he had made his remark based on facts, and not “to make someone happy.” “When Ziaur Rahman, also a former president of the country, formed the new political party, there was no democracy in the country,” he added.
“There had been democracy before 1975 (so) what I exactly said is Ziaur Rahman reestablished, not established, the multi-party democracy in the country.”
Thursday, June 04, 2026
