The Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) has called for national elections to be held within the current year, emphasizing that national polls should take precedence over local government elections.
The alliance conveyed its stance during a meeting with the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday.
Following the meeting, Left Democratic Alliance Coordinator Iqbal Kabir Zahid spoke to journalists, reaffirming their demand for an early national election.
Seven senior leaders from the alliance attended the meeting at the EC headquarters, where they presented a seven-point demand.
Iqbal Kabir said that the fall of the previous government resulted from widespread movements against its authoritarian rule and systemic inequalities.
He stressed that the first priority following this change should be a return to a democratic system, urging the EC to expedite the electoral process.
He also criticized efforts to create confusion by debating whether local government or national elections should come first, insisting that the parliamentary polls must be held within this year.
Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) President Shah Alam also addressed the media, rejecting the notion that reforms must precede elections.
He argued that reforms and elections can take place simultaneously and accused the government of deliberately delaying the process by prioritizing local elections over national ones.
He warned that such delays would be detrimental to the country, leading to further political and social complications.
He added that the prevailing climate of fear and suffocation in the country would persist unless a stable government is established through national elections.
CPB General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince echoed this sentiment, saying that any delay in announcing an election date would be unacceptable.
He said the EC assured them that it is fully prepared to conduct parliamentary elections and would act based on political consensus.
When asked whether the government was intentionally stalling, he pointed out that most political parties had expressed a preference for national elections first during discussions with the interim government.
If the government fails to direct the EC to proceed with national elections soon, it will be clear that they are deliberately delaying the process, he added.
Bazlur Rashid Firoz, general secretary of the Socialist Party of Bangladesh, warned that failure to conduct national elections would exacerbate the culture of fear and instability in the country.
He expressed concern that ousted autocrats and their domestic and international allies would continue their activities unless a democratically elected government takes charge.
He emphasized that only a legitimate government formed through elections could bring the situation under control.
