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Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) returned disillusioned from a crucial meeting with Chief Adviser Prof Yunus on election timing as the head of interim government was noncommittal on the December deadline they proposed.
Rather the government side reaffirmed already-promised December2024-June 2026 timeline for the general election and that the polls must not cross over the June deadline.
"Not satisfied at all," BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters while emerging from the parley with the Chief Adviser on election roadmap on Wednesday afternoon.
"The chief adviser didn't give any specific deadline. He (Yunus) talked about elections between December and June," Fakhrul said, asserting that December should be the cut-off time or else unwarranted developments on political, economic and social fronts could be unmanageable.
He led a seven-member party delegation to the discussion with Prof Yunus that lasted about two hours at the state guesthouse Jamuna.
"We are not at all satisfied. December is the cut-off time. We have clearly said that if elections are not held by December, the political, economic and social situation in the country will worsen and it cannot be controlled," the BNP leader further said.
The party senior leaders said they met with the chief adviser and conveyed the party's concerns to the interim government. The main agenda was a specific roadmap for the elections.
"We have said that in the current political situation and the situation in the country, we believe that the problem must be solved through an acceptable election," he added.
"At the same time, we are fully cooperating with the ongoing reform initiative taken by the government. We have given our opinions on the reform a few days ago," the BNP leader said to make it clear that they have their unflinching support to the government born out of the August-5th 2024 uprising.
"We have said very clearly that we are willing to charter the issues on which all parties will agree, and based on them, we can move towards the election. As to the remaining reforms, our political parties that are elected will take action to implement," he continued in response to reporters.
He also clarified to reporters that the chief adviser did not say anything specific about the election roadmap or whether the election won't be held in December. The chief adviser said the election would be held between December and June, and BNP was not satisfied with this.
In the BNP delegation were also party's national standing committee members Jamiruddin Sirkar, Mirza Abbas, Nazrul Islam Khan, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Salahuddin Ahmed and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury.
Meanwhile, Law Adviser Prof Asif Nazrul said the government took the BNP's opinion very seriously.
He said, "As promised by the interim government's chief adviser, Muhammad Yunus, the elections will be held as soon as possible between December and June next year. No matter what anyone says, the elections will not be held after June."
He was briefing the press in front of the state guesthouse venue on what transpired in the meeting between the BNP delegation and the chief adviser.
Regarding BNP's dissatisfaction with the meeting outcome, Asif Nazrul said, "They (the BNP delegation) felt happy at the meeting."
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