Can a fugitive convict take part in polls process, Quader asks EC

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today urged the Election Commission to look into the matter whether a fugitive convict can take part in the election process.

The AL leader said this while reacting a query on BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman conducting interviews of some aspirants through a video conference today.

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He was addressing a press conference at his Secretariat office in Dhaka.

The BNP's parliamentary board started interviewing of the party’s nomination seekers for the 11th parliamentary election this morning.

The board will only pick candidates from Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions today.

WHY IS TARIQUE ‘TABOO’?

Tarique has been living in London for the last nine years.

Convicted in several cases (in absentia) including that of the sensational August 21 grenade attack, he does not have any valid Bangladeshi travel document.

He had handed over his passport to the UK Home Office almost four years ago.

The UK Home Office sent his passport to the Bangladesh High Commission. He has to apply for a new passport to return home, according a UNB report.

Bangladesh government wants to bring Tarique back and face punishment he received in three separate cases, including the Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases.

What the ruling alliance is planning on existing MPs?

The policymakers of the 14-party alliance do not have any plan to bar the existing parliamentarians from contesting in the general election slated for December 30, Quader told Journalists at the press briefing.

If the performance of any of the elected MPs are not satisfactory then they will decide about it, Quader added.

How many candidate hopefuls collected nomination forms?

As many as 4,580 BNP aspirants collected nomination forms of BNP in the five days since Monday. In the 2008 election, 3,186 BNP hopefuls collected nomination forms.

The main political opposition started selling nomination papers among the aspirants from its Nayapaltan headquarters on November 12 as the Election Commission deferred the date of the upcoming national election to December 30 from December 23.

Who are in BNP's parliamentary board?

All the standing committee members including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Moudud Ahmed, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Jamir Uddin Sircar are among the parliamentary board members.

When is the election?

Election Commission has revised polls schedule, deferring the 11th general election by a week to December 30 – a decision taken on November 12.

The authorities have fixed November 28 as the deadline for filing nomination papers, December 2 for scrutiny and December 9 last date of withdrawal.

The move came following demands from several opposition political parties.