Interim government to campaign for 'Yes' vote: press secretary

Bangladesh will officially kick off campaigning for the upcoming general election and referendum from January 22, and the interim government will be campaigning for a “Yes” vote in the referendum, says Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the chief advisor.

He made the remarks at a press conference organised at the Foreign Service Academy following Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus’s meeting with an EU election observation team on Sunday, reports bdnews24.com.

The press secretary said that, according to the chief advisor, the government itself will campaign for a “Yes” vote. Legal experts have informed the government that there is no legal obstacle in this regard.

He said, "The government will campaign for a 'Yes' vote and raise public awareness. The government has taken opinions from top legal experts in this regard. They have informed the government in writing that the government can campaign if it wants to do so, there is no legal obstacle in this regard."

The chief advisor said that discussions are ongoing across the country regarding the elections, but official election campaigning will start from January 22.

Stating that social media is seen as the biggest challenge in organising this election, Shafiqul said: "You know how misinformation is being spread on social media. A lot of violence is being instigated. Moreover, the people of the degenerate dictatorship will try to disrupt the elections. However, the security forces will be fully prepared to face any challenge."