Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia has called for reconstituting the election commission (EC) in consultation with all political parties having representation in parliament in the past.
Also a former prime minister, Khaleda made the call as she is unveiling her party’s proposals for reconstituting the EC at a programme in a city hotel.
The BNP chairperson also put forth a set of guidelines as to how the election-time government should cooperate with the election commission.
“Initially, the honourable president of Bangladesh will hold seperate meetings with secretary general or general secretary or representatives of all registered political parties or with representatives of all political parties who over different periods had representation in the national parliament,” read the proposal of Khaleda.
The proposal read further, “Since there are at present two major political alliances in the country, there can be one representative each from the party leading the alliances and two others assisting each of them.”
Ahead of giving the proposals, the BNP chairperson met her party’s highest policy making body on Thursday evening.
It is to be noted that the election commission will have to be reconstituted by February next year ahead of the next general election as the tenures of incumbent election commissioners including the chief election commissioner will expire by the middle of February.
The BNP, which has exchanged power with its arch enemy ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) since 1991, boycotted the 5 January 2014 election as it was held under a partisan government.