No Awami League member should be allowed to join the next polls: Students
They also threatened to vandalise election offices if elections were conducted before implementing necessary reforms
Student representatives from universities and other educational institutions across Dhaka have demanded that no member of the Awami League, including those who have participated in the last three parliamentary elections, be allowed to take part in the next national elections.
The students also called for the exclusion of individuals implicated in the killing of students during the July-August uprising.
The statements came during a meeting between the Electoral Reform Commission and students held at a private university in Dhaka today (26 Nov). The commission hosted a view-exchange session where students presented their proposals for electoral reforms.
The students warned that the Awami League must not be rehabilitated and allowed to take part in any aspect of the electoral process. They also threatened to vandalise election buildings if the elections are held before necessary reforms are put in place.
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The proposals put forward by the students included a two-term limit for the prime minister and a recommendation that the prime minister should not hold the position of party president simultaneously.
Other reforms called for a direct presidential election system, a two-chamber parliamentary structure, strengthened powers for the Election Commission, voting rights for expatriates, and the promotion of democratic practices within political parties, especially moving away from family-centric leadership.
Students raised concerns about the implementation of their proposed reforms, citing Chief Adviser Yunus's statement that the interim government is not a government but a facilitator.
In response, commission member Prof Tofail Ahmed said, "If any government claims to be just a facilitator, it is not functioning as a government. Once in power, it must act as a governing authority."
The commission assured the students that their proposals would be taken seriously.
Badiul Alam Majumdar, the head of the Election Reform Commission, said, "The students' sacrifices will not be in vain. On behalf of my colleagues, I promise to carefully consider your proposals."
Umama Fatema, the spokesperson for the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, stressed that the proposed reforms must be people-friendly.
"We will not allow any government to become fascist in the future," she said. "Our youth must stay alert. No one should divide us. The commission's reforms must be for the people."
