The BNP has said it does not want the upcoming national election to be delayed without unavoidable circumstances, stressing that the polls must be held on schedule to restore the people's voting rights.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday (4 December) after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin at the Election Commission in Agargaon, BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said the party remains engaged in the electoral process. BNP Chairperson's Advisory Council member Ismail Jabeeullah and former EC additional secretary Dr Mohammad Zakaria were also present.
Responding to questions about announcing the election schedule amid political tensions and the deteriorating health of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, Nazrul Islam Khan said, "We are in the electoral process. Without any unavoidable reason, we do not want to step out of this process. For 15 years we have consistently demanded elections. We want to return the people's voting rights, and we want the election to be held on time."
He noted that this time voters will have to cast ballots for both the parliamentary election and the referendum, which will require additional time in polling booths. "We said that no voter should be deprived of their voting rights. They (the EC) said they will take a decision on this next Sunday (7 November)."
Nazrul Islam said the party also insisted that ballot papers must be printed only at government presses. "We heard they might be printed at private presses. We made it clear that ballot papers should not be printed in any private press. The Commission assured us that ballots will be printed only at government presses."
He added that the BNP called for passports to be accepted as a valid reference for enrolling expatriates as voters. "We want more expatriates to be included as voters." EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed was present during the meeting between the CEC and BNP representatives.
