The National Citizen Party (NCP) believes that the election commission (EC) is responsible for the current crisis surrounding swearing-in of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Ishraq Hossain as mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).

Stating that it has lost trust in the current EC for various reasons, the party demanded reconstitution of the election commission.

The NCP held an emergency press conference at its temporary central office in the capital’s Banglamotor intersection on Tuesday night.

From this press conference, the party announced a protest rally demanding the reconstitution of the EC and local government elections.

The rally will be held under the banner of NCP’s Dhaka city unit in front of the EC office in Agargaon, Dhaka at 12:00 pm on Wednesday.

In response to a question at the press conference about the continuous protests by Ishraq Hossain’s supporters demanding his assumption of mayoral duties, NCP convenor Nahid Islam said, “What we are witnessing now is that a major, established political party is not displaying the maturity the public expects from them. They are blocking Shahbagh, shutting down the city corporation office, and threatening to lay siege to Jamuna. They are trying to create nationwide instability in various ways. Everyone should avoid such steps.”

Nahid Islam also stated that the crisis around Ishraq Hossain’s oath as mayor was directly created by the EC.

According to him, the EC did not contest the case, nor did it appeal. This clearly shows that they are siding with a particular political party and a specific candidate.

Nahid maintained that they do not have any confidence in this commission for national or any kind of elections. The election commission must be reconstituted and focus should shift to local government elections.

Emphasis on local government elections
In response to a question about whether the demand for local government elections is a ploy to delay the national elections, Nahid Islam said, “None of us ever opposed the national election. We support the timeline the Chief Adviser has given from December this year to June next year. The election can be held within that period. But we’ve spoken about the necessity of justice and reforms for holding the elections. We’ve said the Constituent Assembly election must be held alongside, to draft a new constitution.”

“We did not say national elections should be delayed for organising the local government elections. If needed, the announcement could be made for the dates for both the Constituent Assembly and national elections. Once the dates are announced and people are reassured, the local government election can be held beforehand.”

The top NCP leader believes that holding the local government elections will help create a conducive environment for parliamentary elections.

He added that the competence of the interim government, administration, and EC will also be proven through those (local) elections. The local government election could take place before the general and Constituent Assembly elections, but only after restructuring the EC.

Nahid Islam also stated in the press conference that NCP has no connection with Dhaka North City Corporation’s administrator Mohammad Ejaz.

“He is being wrongly labeled as a member of an organisation. People were randomly labeled as militants or members of Hizbut Tahrir during Sheikh Hasina’s regime. Some political figures, upset over not getting tenders or having their illegal demands ignored, are now making accusations against the administrator.

Nahid, however, thinks the government should investigate the allegations. If those are found to be false and politically motivated, action should be taken against those making them.

‘EC acting like a party spokesperson’
Alongside Nahid Islam, NCP’s principal coordinator Nasir Uddin Patwari also responded to questions of newspersons.

In response to a question, he said the EC’s formation process was illegal. “The EC makes comments even before the Chief Adviser; that’s not appropriate. They are acting like a party’s spokesperson. That is why immediate reform (of EC) is necessary.”

Regarding the protests by Ishraq Hossain’s supporters, he said, the entire city of Dhaka has come to a halt. Citizens are not receiving any services from the city corporation.

NCP’s member secretary Akhter Hossen read out a written statement at the press conference, which said: “A complex political situation has emerged over the illegal 2020 Dhaka South City Corporation election. We believe the biased role of the election commission is responsible for this.”

The statement also mentioned that the absence of public representatives is severely hampering citizen services and creating obstacles to implementing social safety initiatives.

It further said, “Taking the case of Ishraq Hossain vs. Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh as precedent, candidates from illegal elections across the country are now seeking legal redress, which has been leading to a complicated and crisis-ridden situation. Holding local government elections is the only solution to this crisis and public suffering. But the current biased election commission, formed under fascist law, is incapable of conducting this election.”

“Despite being a defendant in the case of Ishraq Hossain vs. Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, the EC did not contest it, resulting in a one-sided verdict. Even after the verdict, the EC did not seek remedy from the High Court, and in the process provided an undue advantage to the plaintiff. Instead of maintaining neutrality, the EC has also made statements earlier that aligned with a major political party,” the written statement added.

NCP’s southern region organiser Hasnat Abdullah, senior joint convenor Ariful Islam Adib, and senior joint secretary Tasnim Jara, among others, were also present at the press conference.