The BNP has officially announced that it would participate in the upcoming municipality elections, slated to be held in the country’s 234 municipalities on December 30.
The party has also requested the Election Commission to push back the poll schedule to add 15 more days, and asked that law enforcers stop their indiscriminate arrests of BNP activists across the country.
The announcement was made by BNP International Affairs Secretary Dr Asaduzzaman Ripan in a press conference at the BNP’s Nayapaltan headquarters yesterday.
“The government has plundered the voting rights of the citizens. When people get the chance for a short time [to cast ballot], the government deprives them from the dignity as well. Nonetheless, BNP is going to participate in the municipality polls to save the democratic process from a debacle, as well as to meet the voting wish of the people,” the BNP spokesman said.
Earlier, the Election Commission announced the election schedule for 234 out of the country’s 323 municipalities.
As per the schedule, the deadline for submission of nomination is December 3. Scrutiny will be held on December 5 and 6 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is December 13.
Sources in the BNP, meanwhile, told the Dhaka Tribune that a party delegation would meet with EC officials today to press home their demands including pushing back the election date.
On Thursday, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia told leaders of the 20-party alliance to prepare lists of their chosen candidates for the upcoming municipality elections.
According to party sources, Khaleda also said the BNP would coordinate between its own preferred candidates and those picked by its political partners to ensure that the alliance endorses only a single candidate at each constituency.
