Govt popularity: IRI findings contradictory, says BNP

BNP today turned down the US-based International Republican Institute’s survey findings that the ruling Awami League government’s popularity has increased, saying the results are “contradictory and devoid of reality”.

“They (IRI) are saying the country’s majority people want the polls to be held as soon as possible under the caretaker government. On the other hand they’re saying the government’s popularity boosted up. This has probed that the results of the survey is contradictory,” said BNP Spokesperson Asaduzzaman Ripon.

He came up with the remarks at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office in Dhaka.

Ripon called upon the government to test its popularity through holding a fresh election under a non-party caretaker government if it accepts the results of the survey.

Reacting to the IRI findings, Ripon said, the overall situation and law and order indicate that the government’s popularity has decreased.

Asked whether the results of the survey will cast a negative impact on their party men, he replied in the negative.

Nielsen-Bangladesh conducted a survey between May 23 and June 10 this year for the US-based research organisation IRI on Bangladesh's politics and democracy. The results of the survey were published in different media on Thursday.

As per the findings of the survey, 67 percent people think the caretaker government should be restored before holding the next parliamentary election while 43 percent respondents like to see the next general election to be held as soon as possible and 40 percent think the current parliament should complete its tenure.

It also said Awami League enjoys more popularity than the other parties with 60 percent respondents liking and 29 percent disliking it. Some 42 percent like BNP while 46 percent dislike it, the survey says.