No general elections in Bangladesh till reforms are completed: NCP

Dhaka: In yet another major controversy surrounding Bangladesh’s general election, National Citizen Party (NCP) Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary said the polls slated for February next year cannot be held unless the reforms are completed, local media reported.

He made the remarks while addressing the National Youth Conference, organised to mark International Youth Day at the Krishibid Institution in Dhaka’s Farmgate.

“If the elections are held without completing the reforms, then this government will have to go to the grave and return the bodies of my brothers who were martyred and gave their blood for reforms,” leading Bangladeshi daily Jugantor, quoted the NCP leader as saying.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Joint Secretary General Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie and radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdullah Mohammad Taher were also present at the event.

Speaking at the event, NCP Convener Nahid Islam emphasised that while his party made concessions with the July Declaration, there will be “absolutely no compromise” with the July Charter.

“The equation is not yet complete. Those who think they’ve figured it out already are on the wrong track. We made concessions last year, and in the July Declaration, but in the July Charter, we will not give even a one per cent concession,” Nahid stated.

“We will only take part in the election after ensuring the objectives of the July Charter are fulfilled. We want elections, but there must be change. There will be no compromise on the July Charter. No political party will be able to come to power without implementing its pledges,” he added.

Notably, the BNP has welcomed the decision to hold the elections in February 2026. On the other hand, although Jamaat agreed on the February election, it called for the implementation of the proportional representation (PR) system for the upper and lower houses of parliament. The party threatened to launch a movement to press home the demand.

Additionally, Nasiruddin also criticised the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) of the country and threatened that if it doesn’t function properly, the NCP will vandalise the offices of the organisation.

“This intelligence agency operates with public money. But the public cannot know how much they spend. They have no accountability, no responsibility, no transparency. Their only job is to intimidate people.”

“If such efforts continue, we will not only break the interrogation rooms but also the DGFI headquarters. We have endured enough. If DGFI is to exist in Bangladesh, it must be reformed,” he warned.

Bangladesh has been gripped by uncertainty over the next general elections since the democratically elected government of Awami League, led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was overthrown during violent protests last year.

The parties that collaborated with Yunus to remove Hasina are now at loggerheads over reform proposals and the timing of the next polls.

IANS