Jamaat proposes holding national polls and referendum separately
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has proposed that the upcoming national election and the referendum be held on separate days, saying the two are "entirely different in nature".
The proposal came during a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin and other commissioners at the Election Commission headquarters in Dhaka this afternoon.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Jamaat's Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said the party was "mentally prepared" for the referendum to be held separately.
"If the national election is held first, political parties will focus more on winning rather than on reforms. And if, for any reason, the national election is postponed, the referendum will also be delayed," Taher said. "These two are entirely different in nature."
He added that the EC informed them it would have no difficulty implementing the decision if the government decided to hold the two separately. "A referendum is a relatively simple election; it doesn't require significant financial involvement," he said.
Taher also said Jamaat proposed appointing election officials through a lottery system to ensure neutrality and transparency.
On the election format, he said the party discussed introducing a proportional representation (PR) system. "Over the past 54 years, we've seen that the traditional method has not ensured fair elections. If the PR system is introduced, the chances of vote rigging, including incidents like ballot stuffing and vote-casting at night, would be reduced," he said.
"We told the EC that both systems should be considered. We have requested that, if a national decision is made to hold the elections separately, it should preferably take place in November," he added.
Taher added that Jamaat also proposed allowing expatriates to register as voters using their birth certificates.
Five Jamaat leaders met with CEC Nasir and the EC members this afternoon to discuss preparations for the upcoming 13th parliamentary election.
The delegation was led by Jamaat's Taher and included AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad, Advocate Jashim Uddin Sarker, Matiur Rahman Akanda and Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair.
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