Muktadesh Desk: After the BNP announced its candidate, the election mood is spreading across the country. However, it has not yet been decided when the referendum will be held. BNP says the referendum will be held on the day of the election. Jamaat says the referendum should be held before the national election. As a result, political analysts fear a conflict in politics.
BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury has commented that the people of Bangladesh do not want to see conflictual politics, they want to see stability.
Acknowledging that everyone has the right to protest, he said, ‘You will go on the streets in words. Now if another party goes on the streets again to protest against it, what will happen, will there be a conflict? If a larger party takes to the streets in Bangladesh to protest against these, there will be a conflict. Is this why we sent Sheikh Hasina away?’
In addition, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad said that BNP is not willing to hold discussions with Jamaat on the referendum. He said this while participating in a dialogue at the Intercontinental Hotel in the capital on Saturday.
AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad said, “We wanted to hold talks with the BNP Secretary General. They said they would not hold talks with us. We are ready to hold talks at any time. If necessary, we will encourage other political parties to hold talks.”
He also said that the July Charter has been signed. But how it will be implemented has not been signed. When the National Consensus Commission recommended to the government, a dispute arose. In a democracy, both discussions and voice races on the streets are possible. We are not doing violence.
As a result, the country’s politics is now revolving around a web of conditions. According to analysts, even though there are differences of opinion in some cases, everyone is now election-oriented. The competition is on to see how much they can achieve their demands before then. Although it seems contradictory to the naked eye, analysts see these conditions as a kind of strategic game.
According to them, BNP has already announced a single candidate for 237 seats. Jamaat has been campaigning by announcing candidates long ago. The National Citizens Party (NCP) has also started selling party nominations. Other parties are also announcing and vetting candidates. The parties are now busy with last-minute negotiations and compromises. The Election Commission has said that the EC’s preparations for holding the elections in the first or second week of February are 100% complete. On the other hand, the interim government is also committed to holding the elections on the announced date. It can be said that there is no uncertainty about the elections for the time being.
In July-August 2024, the Awami League government fell in a mass uprising by students. This started a new polarization in the political field. The students who led the July movement also formed new parties and are active in the voting field. Meanwhile, despite differences in ideology and opinion, the Islamic parties have emerged as a major force on one platform. The Islamic parties want to decide many things before the next election, through which their politics will be solidified. In light of this, the Islamic parties are vocal about changing several issues related to the constitution in the July National Charter. They believe that BNP is the only claimant to power in the next election. If it comes to power, BNP may not implement everything in the July Charter. For this reason, the Islamic parties want to realize their demands through an interim government.
On the other hand, the NCP also believes that many issues in the existing constitution will become obstacles to establishing a strong party and prolonging their political careers. In addition, there is also the issue of security for NCP leaders and activists after the elections. They want the July National Charter ordinance to be issued through Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus. And the issues that BNP has raised objections to should not be in the charter. Meanwhile, BNP wants the full implementation of the July National Charter that political parties signed on October 17. The party has clearly stated that it will not accept anything beyond that. For these reasons, differences have arisen between the parties over the implementation process of the July National Charter.
The National Consensus Commission has prepared a charter after 8 months of discussions, but has left it to the government without resolving the method by which it will be implemented. Meanwhile, the government is undecided due to the contradictory positions of the political parties. On November 3, the government held a press conference on the issue of the National Charter and set a deadline of one week for the political parties. If the parties do not reach an agreement within this period, the government itself will announce its decision. According to the deadline, an agreement is needed by November 10. Until yesterday, the parties were not willing to give up their position even a single point. In this situation, there has been concern and anxiety among politically conscious people about what is going to happen this week. Therefore, analysts are seeing this week as a turning point for future politics.
Meanwhile, Islamic parties are spreading heat in the political arena by demanding a referendum before the national elections. If their demands are not met, 8 Islamic-based parties want to put pressure on the government by holding a rally in Dhaka on November 11. BNP has called their demand a conspiracy to postpone the elections.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that the referendum must be held on the day of the national elections. A referendum will not be allowed before that.
On the other hand, Jamaat is talking about the July Charter and referendum issues every day in addition to campaigning for seat-based elections. Although the party’s top leaders have criticized the government in strong terms, they are preparing the ground for going to the elections. The party’s Naib Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said that the government has announced the election date in February.
