BNP delegation meets CEC to discuss election preparations

A delegation of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) held a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin today (28 December) to discuss preparations for the 13th National Parliament Election, the referendum and complications in the nomination process, as the deadline for submitting nomination papers ends on tomorrow (29 December).

The meeting began around 12:30pm at the Election Commission Bhaban in Agargaon with BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan leading the delegation.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Nazrul Islam Khan said the BNP raised concerns about complications arising from the requirement to submit wealth statements of candidates' children in nomination papers, despite the provision not being included in the Representation of the People Order (RPO).

He said many candidates were facing difficulties because some of their children do not earn, some live abroad, and some file tax returns separately.

"A complication has arisen regarding this matter. We have sent a letter to the Election Commission so that it is clarified quickly. Otherwise, problems will arise for valid reasons," he said.

According to him, the Election Commission agreed that it did not intend to seek information on all children but only on dependent ones.

"The matter is confusing. The Commission will provide an explanation, and the problem will be resolved," he added, noting that such clarification would benefit candidates of all parties as well as independents.

He said the party also discussed the misuse of artificial intelligence on social media during elections and urged the Election Commission to take strong action against AI-driven propaganda and misinformation.

Responding to a question, Nazrul Islam Khan said the issue of any alliance between the National Citizen Party (NCP) and Jamaat-e-Islami was a matter for those parties to decide.

"BNP is a democratic party and recognises the right of all political parties to decide according to their declared ideology," he said, adding that some NCP leaders had reportedly left the party disagreeing with its recent stance.

He said Jamaat's ideology does not appear to align with that of [NCP] and that the issue was for them to consider.

When asked whether BNP saw any ideological problem in joining hands with the NCP, he said all parties claim to be patriotic and democratic, but differences in views are natural.

"If we agreed on everything, we would be one party. Then we would not be separate parties," he said.

He also commented on Jamaat-e-Islami's planned rally in Dhaka on 3 January, saying it was the responsibility of the Election Commission to ensure that the electoral code of conduct was not violated.

Others present at the meeting included BNP Chairperson's Advisory Council member Ismail Zabiullah and former acting secretary of the Election Commission Mohammad Zakaria.

Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarker and Senior Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat Akhtar Ahmed were also present at the meeting.