BNP fears poor elections under AL third time in a row

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday said people will not be able to cast their votes in the next national elections, same as the last two in 2014 and 2018, if it is held under the current government.

"The government is planning to hold the elections the same way once again. Our people want to elect their representatives with their votes. But it'll never be possible if the present Awami League regime remains in power," he said.

Speaking at a programme arranged by the BNP Media Cell in a city hotel, the BNP leader also said his party has long been demanding the national elections be held under a neutral and non-partisan government so that people can elect their representatives freely by exercising their right to franchise.

Fakhrul said the political parties which believe in democratic politics, and independence of the country and want to make Bangladesh a truly democratic state have launched a simultaneous movement to restore democracy.

"We want to bring back democracy and establish people's rights in the country to materialise the dreams of independence. It's not our prime goal to take the BNP to power," he said. 

The BNP leader said the lack of democracy is the main crisis now in Bangladesh as the government has destroyed all democratic institutions by establishing a one-party rule. 

He said the BNP Media Cell can play an important role in restoring people's lost rights since the mainstream media cannot work independently. "It's also a big challenge that the media in the country has been controlled by various tactics."

The BNP leader said the government has shut down different newspapers and TV stations since it came to power to regulate the media. 

He also accused the government of repressing and harassing journalists by enacting black laws, including the Digital Security Act.

BNP Standing Committee members Abdul Moyeen Khan, Amir Khosru  Mahmud Chowdhury, Selima Rahman, Vice Chairmen Shahjahan Omar, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Barkat Ullah Bulu, Shamsuzzaman Dudu and Ahmed Azam Khan, among others, attended the event with Media Cell convenor Zahir Uddin Swapan in the chair.

Diplomats from countries, including USA, France, Germany and Denmark, were also present in the programme.