EC asks all political parties to register before October 15; Chief Adviser calls on bureaucrats to concentrate on holding free, fair and credible upazila and general elections; US Ambassador
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  • Reports noted that the Election Commission (EC) might not be able to ensure registration of political parties and complete the intra-party reforms before the ninth parliamentary polls scheduled for December due to time constraints and lack of necessary laws1. With the EC insisting that parties must register by October 15, major political parties like the AL, BNP and JP have stated that it will not be possible for them to hold party councils and change the party constitutions in time to get registered2. Another round of talks with political parties to reach a consensus about party registration and for fixing a date for the polls was being contemplated.

    Necessary arrangements for the polls were however proceeding. These include the publication of the final voter list of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) area by September 4. The Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed on his part appealed to the country's top bureaucrats to overcome "partisan" concerns and concentrate on holding free, fair and credible upazila and general elections3.

    Upazila elections will be held from October 23, the first phase of which would cover about 250 of the 482 upazilas4. The EC has proposed that Tk. 100 crore, which was over half of the estimated total cost for the upazila elections, be spent to ensure foolproof security. Reports noted that this would represent the highest security expenditure for elections held so far in Bangladesh 5.

    The Awami League on its part urged the government to hold the parliamentary election in the third week of October6. It has also charged that releasing detained BNP chief Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman was an undue administrative favour towards the BNP-Jamaat alliance7. A special court meanwhile framed charges against AL chief Sheikh Hasina and five others in a graft case in connection with purchase of MiG-29 warplanes8.

    In other election-related developments, US Ambassador James Moriarty stated that elections under the state of emergency would not be “that much acceptable9.” The EC asked the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and the police to verify the income tax returns, wealth statements and police records of those elected in the August 4 polls10. The High Court on its part asked the government and the EC to explain within two weeks why three sections of the Representation of the People Ordinance (RPO) 2008 - including rules restricting religion-based political parties to register their names in the EC's list - should not be declared illegal11.

    In other developments, India and Bangladesh held a border conference at which both sides decided to resolve all ‘outstanding development issues’ related to border security within a month’s time, except for issues which came under the purview of the Bangladesh-India Joint River Commission12. India and Bangladesh Home Secretaries also met on August 30.

    Japan wrote off $680 million in debt overdue from Bangladesh under a debt-relief agreement13. The Sri Lankan Army Chief visited Dhaka during the week and both sides agreed to enhance the level of defence cooperation14.

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