Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday assured parliament that mayor-elect Jalal Uddin would be sworn in within the timeframe.
Jalal, who is in jail now, was elected from Talora municipality of Dupchachia upazila in Bogra on May 8 with the backing of the main opposition BNP.
BNP lawmaker Jamir Uddin Sircar enquired about Jalal’s oath-taking on a point of order, saying Jalal’s oath-taking was caught in a bureaucratic tangle. “I expect that the prime minister will take a move so that the elected representative could be sworn in by the June 8 deadline.”
In response, Hasina said since Jalal was an elected representative, he would definitely be sworn in because the Election Commission was enjoying full independence in carrying out its activities.
The elections held so far under the incumbent government were free, fair and credible, the PM claimed. “In many of the elections, opposition candidates won, which proves that the Election Commission is enjoying total independence.”
Hasina said: “Talora is a new municipality. It was its first election. There was an Awami League-backed candidate, but the BNP-backed candidate won in the polls. Unfortunately, I did not know there was any problem regarding his oath-taking.”
