Chief Coordinator of the newly formed National Citizens Party (NCP) Nasiruddin Patwari on Wednesday said elections to local government must be held before the national election.
"We had demanded the banning of the Awami League and it has been banned. But the Awami League's Election Commission and constitution have not been banned," he said.
Nasiruddin was addressing a protest rally organised to demand immediate reconstitution of the Election Commission (EC) and initiation of local government elections, taking into consideration the proposals from the Electoral Reform Commission.
The demonstration, which began at 11:40am, concluded around 2:15pm. Around two hundreds of NCP leaders and activists joined the event, chanting slogans demanding immediate reforms of the EC and the scheduling of local government elections.
Nasiruddin also said, "We are waiting for the July declaration. The Election Commission will be reformed, local elections will be held, a Constituent Assembly election will be announced and we will move toward a beautiful Bangladesh. With this hope, we are ending today's protest."
Earlier, on Tuesday night, at a press conference held at the NCP's temporary central office in Banglamotor, the party's Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain announced the protest program in front of the EC office to demand reformation of the EC and the initiation of local government elections.
Nasiruddin Patwari also said the NCP will not take part in elections under the current Election Commission if the commission is not reconstituted.
Accusing the current commission of bias, Nasiruddin Patwari said, "The current Election Commission is illegal and was formed under the 'Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Appointment Act 2022' enacted by the fascist Awami League government, which at the time was rejected by all anti-fascist political parties and groups. When the search committee was formed to constitute the current EC, we opposed the existing law on forming the commission."
He made the remark when the party ended a demonstration in front of the Election Commission (EC) headquarters in the capital's Agargaon this afternoon.
Around 12:00pm, the NCP leaders and activists gathered in front of the EC office and started a sit-in, demanding the reconstitution of the commission and the holding of local government election.
After the two-hour sit-in around 2:00pm, the party ended their demonstration with Nasiruddin Patwari's speech. He also announced that a new programme would be announced later.
During the protest, Patwari said, "We want the EC to be reconstituted and local government elections to be held before the national elections. Keeping those in the Election Commission who have taken away people's voting rights for the past 16 years makes free and fair elections impossible. Legal action must be taken against those who helped rig votes during the autocratic era."
He also said, "Those who rigged the last few elections are still in power. Our NCP demands that the Election Commission be reconstituted because we see the commission is acting as a spokesperson for a particular party. Free and fair elections are not possible under this Election Commission."
Addressing the BNP, he said, "You presented 31 demands. You said you would reconstitute constitutional institutions. But once you got your own people into those institutions, you forgot about reform. The Election Commission has now become the party office of the BNP. The commission has acted as a spokesperson for the BNP."
He added, "BNP leaders like Salahuddin want to uphold the "Mujibist constitution". They want to hand over Bangladesh to India under India's prescription."
The NCP leader also claimed, "Three advisors of the interim government are spokespersons for BNP."
"Wahiduddin Bhai (former education adviser, now planning adviser) is working to sink education in Bangladesh, Saleh Uddin Bhai (finance adviser) is working to sink the financial sector in the country. Asif Nazrul (law adviser) is working to sink the Ministry of Law. If this continues, we will be forced to start a movement to make them resign," he added.
He commented that "soft games" cannot go on in this field.
Nasir Uddin Patwari further said, "As long as NCP leaders are here, there will be local elections before the national elections."
Regarding the July declaration, he said, "Asif Nazrul had told us that he would give the declaration. Once he showed the carrot to the students and the public; he had said he would give the declaration, he has committed treachery. This time, if there is any deception, I don't know whether Asif Nazrul will remain in Bangladesh."
Addressing the law advisor, Nasir Uddin Patwari said, "You have betrayed the people. With this betrayal, you cannot come to a government office. We are waiting for the declaration, for the restructuring of the Election Commission, for local elections, for the Constituent Assembly elections, and to get a beautiful Bangladesh."
