National Citizens’ Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam has stated that his party will decide whether to participate in the upcoming elections based on the implementation of fundamental reforms.
After meeting with US diplomats on Wednesday, Nahid Islam said, "We informed the US diplomats that an election without fundamental reforms will not be acceptable to everyone. Whether the National Citizen Party will participate in such an election would also remain under consideration."
He further expressed concerns over the current situation, saying, “At present, the field-level administrations are not functioning fairly. NCP leaders and activists are being attacked in various locations, and the administrations remain silent in such cases. These issues were discussed during our meeting.”
Islam emphasized the party's stance on reform, stating, “We have made three clear demands: justice, reforms, and Constituent Assembly election. We are not calling for mere reforms; we are working towards fundamental reforms to bring about a qualitative change in our state.”
"They [US team] were also interested in the security of minorities and the direction of future politics in Bangladesh and the process of party formation, organisational activities, ideology, etc., in our politics. We explained these from our perspective," he said.
Following a meeting with Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday, BNP has expressed disappointment citing the lack of a definitive roadmap for the upcoming 13th national election.
"We are not satisfied at all—this we’ve made abundantly clear. If the election is not held by December, the political, economic and social situation will further deteriorate, and it will become increasingly difficult to manage," said Fakhrul.
Speaking after a meeting between the chief adviser and a delegation from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Asif Nazrul said that elections would be held at the earliest possible date between December and June.
"We have no desire to cling to power without cause or squander time unnecessarily," he said. "There is no reason for anyone to harbour misgivings."
Nazrul noted that the BNP had questioned the rationale for further delays if the proposed reforms were eventually going to be implemented.
“We explained to them that, even if the July Charter is finalised, the adoption of essential legal and policy frameworks can take time,” he added.
