Bangladesh has advanced few more steps towards the national election as all major political parties, including Bangladesh Awami League (AL) and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), filed their candidature for upcoming poll. November 30, 2008 was the last date for submitting candidature for parliament election.
One of the major obstacles for parliament was the listing of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s name in current voter list that was also toppled by the Election Commission (EC) as she listed her name a couple of days ago. Earlier Zia had refused to be a voter in imprisonment when the process was going on.
December 11 is the last date as fixed by the EC for withdrawal of candidature from parliament election. According to poll experts and political analysts, the period is a bit longer as it is first ever in the experience of Bangladesh.
In any case, the larger political parties those are AL and BNP will have time to negotiate with their alliance partners. AL is a bit advance in this race as 14-party alliance was prepared to join in the parliament election as of the first declared schedule, which was rescheduled for three times to ensure the participation all political parties.
AL and 14-party alliance have almost at the end of their constituency negotiation and finalised a deal with Jatio Party (JP) of former military autocrat HM Ershad. Jatio Party was pressing for irrational number of parliamentary constituency and for a commitment to nominate Ershad as President of the republic. Finally JP shifted from their demands and agreed with 35 seats to fight in parliament election race.
It should be mentioned here that JP is not the partner of 14-party alliance and has joined the alliance for election issue. 14-party and JP popularly named as Mohajot (grand alliance). Other buddies of 14-party alliance are almost happy though with few reservations.
BNP is now in the process of negotiation with the allies of 4-party alliance. Negotiating in 4-party alliance will not be a difficult task for BNP as Jamate Islami (Jamat), the fundamentalist party, is the only partner that has strength to ask for negotiation. Other two are basically sideline party.
One significant thing is observed that many important political personalities were selected neither by AL nor BNP as candidates for the parliamentary poll. Parties showed that these big shots were involved in anti-party activities in the name of reforms when the state of emergency came into force with the arrest of many leaders including the party bosses by the military backed interim government.
In true sense, at the early time of military backed interim government BNP was divided into two parts, one was known as reformists and another was known as Khaleda loyalist. After the release of Khaleda Zia, though maximum of reformists were absorbed by the mainstream but not forgiven by the party Supremo.
In consideration to this, AL was in a better position at that time. Though few senior presidium members of AL had presented reform proposal, the party did not face any split. But the consequence was almost same in the two major parties. Some of the AL heavy weights managed to secure their candidature, mid-careers have lost their position.
This action of the two largest parties resulted in the emergence of a number of independent candidates in the political flock; though EC included a tough provision for independent candidature i.e. the support of one percent voters of the constituency where the candidate wanted to run in the poll. Analysts said as the date of withdrawal is yet a distant dateline, this problem could be minimised through proper initiatives from the pivotal point of the parties and alliances.
Now, all concerned including the foreign election observer bodies are waiting to see the total withdrawal of emergency. Both AL and BNP have a strong demand for total withdrawal of emergency just after the day of the last date of withdrawal of candidature. UN, EU and some other western think tanks, those are involved in election monitoring process in Bangladesh, said that for a credible election withdrawal of the state of emergency is an essential. Military backed interim government is also committed to do so though EC and the government is in anxiety about the poll-time law and order situation.
In the rapture of parliamentary election, upazila (sub-district) election is going on as an insipid and dull event. Local leaders of all parties are dropping candidature as of their own. They are in a problem that what will be their duties in the parliamentary election process and what they should do for themselves. With all limitations, people of Bangladesh want to see a credible election in parliament and local levels.
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