Parties make changes to their constitution to comply with EC regulations; International interlocutors press Dhaka to lift state of emergency; Bangladesh Army Chief meets Zardari
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    • Ahead of the parliamentary elections, major political parties made revisions to their party constitutions to qualify for EC norms for party registration. The Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) for instance recognised the historic Liberation War in its newly revised constitution1. The EC however maintained that some provisions in JeI’s revised constitution still ran counter to its provisions2. An experts committee constituted by the EC asked the JeI to further make changes in its charter recognising the plenary powers of parliament to make laws. Jamaat's revised constitution submitted to the EC disregards parliament's power on the grounds that people must not accept anyone except Allah as a law-making authority3. After the EC’s intervention, the Jamaat made further changes in its constitution to accept the lawmaking power of parliament and conform to the criteria for registration4.

    The formal registration of Jamaat-e-Islami with the EC has led to formal objections from different organisations and individuals, who demanded prosecution of anti-liberation war criminals5. The EC meanwhile decided to reject registration applications of around 40 organisations for not meeting its criteria, including parties like the Islamic Democratic Party (IDP), formed by leaders of banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJi)6.

    The AL on its part maintained that it would not take part in any election if the state of emergency was not withdrawn and its president Sheikh Hasina, was not "permanently and unconditionally" released7. The party also demanded that the EC should hold the upcoming national elections within the limits of the previous constituencies if it fails to resolve convincingly all complexities regarding the demarcation of constituencies8. The EC however accepted the AL’s revised constitution and decided to register the party as it omitted the names of Bangladesh Chhatra League and Jatiya Sramik League from the list of organisations associated with it in its charter.

    The BNP also made amendments to the constitution regarding severing its ties with 'associated' organisations of students and professionals, removing all barriers to its registration with the EC9. The revised changes clip the absolute authority of BNP chairperson to form the party's standing and executive committees10. It also asserted that it would not participate in the December 18 elections without Khaleda Zia’s active participation11. Khaleda Zia on her part called on the election commissioners to resign on the grounds that they were not neutral, and therefore could not hold a free and fair election12.

    A total of 107 political parties applied for registration under the new provision made mandatory under the amended Representation of People Order (RPO), which was a part of political and electoral reforms undertaken by the EC in the interim period13.

    Ahead of the election, international interlocutors were also pressing Dhaka to lift the state of emergency. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived on November 1 on a two-day official visit to the country. Mr. Ban maintained that Bangladesh's most pressing need was to ensure a peaceful transition to democracy and for the incoming elected government to stem a recurrence of confrontational politics14. A 10-member team of the European Commission (EC) would also be reaching Bangladesh on November 6 to assess the pre-poll situation. Reports noted that the team expected an announcement from the caretaker government about the lifting or relaxing of the state of emergency soon15. Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma on his part stated that the state of emergency was “inconsistent” with a normal electoral process and favoured its lifting before the election16. The caretaker administration, headed by Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, at the latest round of talks with the parties, stated that it would relax the Emergency Power Rules (EPR) clauses that banned political activities early next month17.

    In other developments, Bangladesh Chief of Army Staff Gen. Moeen U. Ahmed, on a six-day official visit to Pakistan, called on the Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and discussed matters of mutual interests18. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) agreed to provide a loan of $165 million to help Bangladesh improve its energy infrastructure19.

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