CEC urges BNP to participate in national polls

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal on Saturday urged the BNP to participate in the national polls to be held in the second week of January.

"We expect your (BNP) participation whether anyone likes it or not. It is your choice how you will ensure your participation," he said after meeting with registered political parties at Agargaon Nirbachon Bhaban on Saturday afternoon.

CEC also expressed good wishes to the party in the movement.

Noting that the opinion of the 26 parties in the discussion was very positive, CEC said, "The election environment is not favourable; some parties are still not able to participate. We have accepted that. So far, the preparations have been informed, feedback has been received, and we have also given feedback."

Mentioning that they have very little time ahead of the parliamentary elections, the CEC said the Election Commission has no mandate to resolve the conflicting crises of the political parties. The parties should discuss among themselves, solve the crisis, and create a favourable environment.

Regarding the political crisis, he said, 'We have said our expectations about the political crises are always positive. But we neither have the capacity nor the mandate to resolve that crisis. We said you could have tried among yourselves."

The EC invited 44 registered political parties in two groups in the morning and afternoon to inform them about the election preparations.

Among the 44 invited parties, the representatives of 26 political parties including the Awami League and Jatiya Party participated while BNP and 17 like-minded political parties did not participate.