Calls for second republic, Constituent Assembly election a conspiracy to prolong current undemocratic state system: BNP’s Salahuddin
The calls for a second republic and a Constituent Assembly election are a conspiracy to prolong the current undemocratic state system in the country, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has alleged.
"Those who are bringing up the issue of the second republic and the Constituent Assembly election either do not understand this or they do understand and there is a conspiracy to take this state system into a more prolonged undemocratic process," he said at a press conference in Kakrail in the capital today (1 March).
Salahuddin also called out the parties who call for local government elections ahead of the parliamentary elections stating that they, too, would benefit from an undemocratic state.
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"Did the 5 August student-people mass uprising unfold so that member-chairman elections or upazila polls could take place [ahead of national polls]?" he said.
Addressing the chief adviser, the BNP leader issued a one-month ultimatum demanding the announcement of a roadmap to the national election.
"You [chief adviser] have to provide an election roadmap very soon. If you do not do so within this month for any given excuse, then we, the democratic forces, will decide on it…We have to re-determine through which process we will move forward," he said.
The BNP leader's remarks come after leaders of the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP) today (28 February) called for a Constituent Assembly election, through which they aim to formulate a new constitution that will lay the foundation for Bangladesh's "second republic".
NCP demands Constituent Assembly election to write new constitution for 'second republic'
The remarks come after leaders of the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP) yesterday (28 February) called for a Constituent Assembly election, through which they aim to formulate a new constitution that will lay the foundation for Bangladesh's "second republic".
Referring to which, Salahuddin said, "I saw in the newspaper that one of the goals of the NCP is to formulate a new constitution through the Constituent Assembly election to establish a second republic. I do not want to criticise this. Every political party will have its own policies, ideals, and such declarations are made in its constitution and manifesto.
"[But] I want to tell my new friends, has our current republic fallen ill? When does a second republic take place? A republic is where elected representatives will run the state, they will have a nominal or 'elected head of the state'. Don't we have that?"
He further said, "You [NCP] are talking about a new constitution, you have given a comprehensive amendment proposal to the reform commission, we [BNP] have as well. If you name that constitution as the new one, that's fine. But why did you mention constituent assembly, I do not understand."
When there is no constitution in the country and a new state is established, then the Constituent Assembly election is needed, he said, adding that the members then formulate the constitution. "On the basis of which, the parliamentary elections are held later."
"Did we establish a new independent state here for the election of the constituent assembly? The state is independent. We are an independent, sovereign and democratic state. In any case, we have a constitution that we do not fully own yet, so there is a need for extensive reform. The constitution that [former prime minister] Sheikh Hasina organised into parties and arranged in her favour against democracy needs reform."
