Falling in line for the election

All parties seem to be falling in line for the election, but will it actually be held on schedule?

by Ahmed Sarder

Fakhruddin Ahmed, chief of the interim authority, announced on Saturday night that the parliamentary polls would be held on December 18, within the timeline he had promised after taking charge in January 2007.
The two top political parties –Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party – however cast doubt over the military-backed interim government's democratic intentions, as it announced the dates for the election to upazila just after six days of the general polls. 
Though Fakhruddin said the election would be free, fair and credible, and he would ease or end nearly two years of emergency rule close to the polls to allow free campaigning, Awami League and BNP both expressed disappointment over the issue of the state of emergency, which they say is a crucial factor to set the stage for a fair election.
BNP and Awami League said Fakhruddin had accepted a popular demand by giving the parliament vote date, but they opposed plans to hold rural upazila (sub-district) elections on December 24 and 28.
They were arguing that holding elections in about 480 upazilas for officials with sweeping powers to control local governance could divert the attention of their supporters in the villages from the national polls.
Soon after the announcement of the election date, an uncertainty clouded the elections as BNP had said it would not register itself with the Election Commission as it was not possible to hold the party's national council amid the state of emergency, and party reforms are impossible without the council.
However, following the Election Commission’s (EC) announcement about easing the procedure for registration of the political parties, BNP in a major policy decision announced that it would register with the commission and take part in the upcoming elections as per the new electoral provisions, shifting from its earlier stance.
A four-member delegation of the party, led by its vice-president MK Anwar conveyed the message to the Chief Election Commissioner in a two-hour meeting at the EC Secretariat on Tuesday.
It is being expected that the latest development in BNP, which leads the four-party alliance, would break the impasse over registration with the EC and confusion over holding of the parliamentary polls slated for December 18.
BNP, however, is still demanding the EC defers the dates for upazila elections by at least one month saying that holding of the national and upazila elections in such a short time would put both the elections under threat.
Awami League and Jatiya Party have already said that they would apply to the commission for registration after Eid-ul-Fitr by amending their party constitutions.
Sources in the party said, BNP has shifted from their stand of not registering with commission so that nobody or no political party can blame them for any delay in holding the election. “We do not want to shoulder any responsibility for not holding the election on December 18, as Awami League has already started blaming us. We have come to know that the Awami League itself does not want the election to be held on December 18 and that’s why they are looking for a suitable reason and party which they can blame,” a senior BNP leader observed. 
All major political parties will have to amend their constitutions to fulfill the criteria laid down for registration and the registration of political parties with the commission has been made compulsory to take part in the polls.
 The parties, however, would not hold the party councils, as the EC would allow the draft amendment of the constitutions, which would be ratified by the council within six months of the general election  
Although it seems that all the political parties have agreed to the elections, it is yet to be clear whether the country is actually going to have the much-awaited election on December 18. The parties are still demanding immediate withdrawal the state of emergency before holding of the elections.
Moreover, political analysts say that though the military-installed interim authority seems to have fulfilled a major commitment towards restoring democracy by announcing the election date in line with its much touted roadmap, it was still unable to remove all doubts about its game plan.