The visiting German parliamentary delegation yesterday said the 10th parliament elected without the BNP’s participation may not have people’s support for completing its five-year term.
The delegation, led by Dagmar G Woehrl, met Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury at her office and expressed their “concern”.
During the meeting, they also stressed that the ruling party should initiate ‘substantial’ dialogue with the BNP-led alliance for strengthening democracy.
Shirin Sharmin assured that the political parties were open to have talks among themselves to sort out political differences. But the political parties would decide on it, she added.
After the December 29, 2008 parliamentary elections, a German parliamentary delegation praised Bangladesh for holding the ninth general elections in a free and fair manner, observing that “Bangladesh has proved that democracy and Islam could move together”.
“Speaking about the January 5 general election, Mrs Woehrl appraised the Speaker of the Bundestag’s concerns that the current parliament might not enjoy sufficient acceptance by the people for going the full 5 years distance,” said a press statement of the German embassy in Dhaka.
“The members of the visiting delegation hoped that signals would soon come out of Bangladesh for the beginning of substantial dialogue between major political forces,” it said.
Shirin Sharmin told the Dhaka Tribune: “From that concern (BNP’s boycott of the polls), they have suggested a dialogue among the political parties.”
“I have told them that in a democracy, the political parties are open to dialogue. But the decision will be taken by the political parties.”
The speaker said the BNP’s boycott of the January 5 polls was their political decision and the 10th parliamentary polls were a must for the continuation of the constitutionality.
She also informed them of the activities of the 10th parliament that had Jatiya Party (JaPa) as the main opposition.
Dagmar G Woehrl, also the chair of the German parliamentary committee on economic cooperation and development, led the nine-member delegation that arrived in Dhaka on Saturday.
