Thorny issues remain thorny

Country ticks towards 90-day countdown to JS polls beginning Oct 31

Less than two weeks before the 90-day countdown for holding the general election begins, a number of contentious political issues remain unresolved.

The issues include the nature of the polls-time government and dissolution of parliament before announcement of the election schedule -- two key demands of the BNP and some other opposition parties.

Under the constitutional provision introduced in 2011, the next national election must be held within 90 days before the five-year term of the current parliament expires on January 28. And the Election Commission has said it would announce the schedule any day after the countdown begins on October 31. 

The government and the ruling Awami League have already rejected the opposition demand for a nonpartisan administration and dissolution of parliament, saying the election will be held in line with the constitutional provisions -- that is under the current government. 

However, the size of the government during the election remains unclear.

The prime minister and some of her cabinet colleagues have said the polls-time cabinet will carry out some routine work only and provide all assistance to the EC to hold the polls.

Another unsettled issue is the deployment of army during the election.

In the 2008 parliamentary election, armed forces personnel were deployed to work alongside regular law enforcement agencies. At the time, army personnel were given the power to arrest troublemakers without warrant. That power was curtailed by amending the law after the 2008 election.

At an EC meeting on Monday, Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukder sought to place a proposal about army deployment, but he was not allowed and no discussion on the matter took place.

The use of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) appears to be another thorny issue.

The EC's plan for using EVMs on a large scale sparked widespread debates and opposition parties vehemently oppose it.

The EC has yet to clear the cloud over the matter.

Meanwhile, the ruling Awami League men are already campaigning across the country well in advance although the opposition parties need permission from the police even to hold rallies.

In addition, thousands of BNP men across the country have recently been sued in hundreds of “fictitious” cases, putting them in the back foot.

Political analysts and opposition leaders described this as an “absence of a level playing field” for all political parties, which is key to a fair election.    

"At the moment, the atmosphere is not congenial for a free and fair election," Mujahidul Islam Selim, president of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, told The Daily Star.

In its election roadmap unveiled in July last year, the EC said the "countrymen are waiting for a credible election".

But will the EC be able to hold one such election?

Former election commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain thinks it will be challenging, given the complicated issues facing the Commission.

• Courtesy: The Daily Star /Oct 18, 2018