AL for MP role in municipality poll campaign

Ruling Awami League today urged the Election Commission to pave way for lawmakers to take part in municipality election campaign.

The proposal was placed when an Awami League delegation met Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad ahead of the polls.

“Since the polls are being held under party banners, the lawmakers have constitutional rights to take part in electioneering,” the party’s Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif told reporters after the meeting. “We have requested the CEC not to deprive the MPs of their rights.”

Bangladesh’s first municipality polls that will be held under party banners has been scheduled for December 30. The date will not be deferred, said a politician quoting the CEC.

Responding to demands of deferral of the polls schedule, Hanif hoped that the election commission will resolve the issue upholding the electoral code of conduct.

Jatiya Party, the parliamentary opposition party, also moved the same demand – to allow lawmakers take part in polls campaign – during their meeting with the CEC earlier today.

Meanwhile BNP leaders will sit with the chief election commissioner this afternoon to place their proposals so that the municipality polls can be held in a free, fair and impartial manner.

A seven -member delegation led by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s adviser M Osman Farroque will hold the meeting with CEC Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad at the EC’s secretariat around 2:00pm, Sayrul Kabir Khan, a staff of BNP chief’s media wing, told The Daily Star.

BNP will try to press home its demand for deferring the polls schedule by at least two weeks and for ensuring a level-playing field in the election, sources said.