BNP has welcomed the announcement of elections in February in a speech to the nation by its chief advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Although it has not given an official reaction to this, Jamaat-e-Islami, which has been demanding elections under the July Charter, is angry. The National Citizens Party (NCP) believes that the announcement should be accepted without unconditionally welcoming it and keeping it in question.

In an immediate reaction at the BNP Chairperson's political office in Gulshan on Tuesday night, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said, "I hope that the charter will be signed very soon through a proper process based on consensus. If there is a discussion about its implementation process, we will participate in it." He said, the chief advisor has made two important announcements. One is the July declaration, the other is the election announcement. We welcome both.

Salahuddin said, "We are committed to giving constitutional recognition to the July Declaration. It will be placed in the constitution at the appropriate place. We had made that promise before. It has been appropriate to give the status of national heroes to the July martyrs."

He also said that the suggestions given by the Chief Advisor to create an environment for people to exercise their voting rights in the next election are definitely worth implementing. He announced that he will send a letter to the Election Commission. The Election Commission will take appropriate measures to hold the election before the start of Ramadan in the first half of February next year. Of course, the Election Commission will announce the schedule in due time. With this announcement, the uncertainty about the election is no longer there.

In response to the question, Salahuddin said, "We believe that through this announcement, political stability will be further established in the state. There will no longer be any kind of uncertain environment in business, trade, and investment. Everything will be operational and gain momentum, that is what we hope."

Jamaat disappointed
Immediately after the speech of the chief advisor, a meeting of the executive council of Jamaat was held. Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr. Syed Abdullah Md. Taher, Secretary General Mia Ghulam Parwar and other senior leaders were present. Sources in the meeting said that Jamaat will not accept the elections without the implementation of the July Charter of Reforms. This demand was raised in collaboration with other parties including the Islamic Movement and NCP, which share the same sentiment.

The meeting discussed that Jamaat has no objection to the elections in February. However, the recommendations for reforms must be implemented before the elections. The July Charter must be given a legal basis.

Dr. Taher refused to comment on the chief advisor's speech. He told Samakal that the party's position will be presented at a press conference on Wednesday.

Yesterday, the chief advisor read out the July Declaration with the political parties on his side. While leaving the South Plaza of the Parliament, Dr. Taher told reporters that the nation is disappointed with the July Declaration as there are no clear guidelines for implementation. The Declaration should have been included in the Constitution. I had heard that the Declaration will be effective from August 5, 2024. But that is not the case.

What NCP said:
The party's senior joint convener Samantha Sharmin told that elections are not related to time, but to the system or situation. The country's election system has been destroyed for the last 15 years. The role of all state institutions related to the election is also questionable. No white paper has been published about those whose role was questionable. It is not yet clear whether these people will be given responsibility in the next election. This issue needs to be clarified. They must be brought to justice.

He said, a 'field test' through local elections was needed to get an idea of the law and order situation. We do not see any initiative in this regard. However, the hope is that there are still seven months left. If the interim government fixes these issues and holds elections, then it will be fair.
Asked whether the NCP is welcoming the announcement at the time of the elections, he said, there is nothing to welcome. The matter should be taken with a grain of salt (not to be completely believed).