EC will be able to conduct polls efficiently, Fakhrul hopes

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday said the Election Commission (EC) has so far been performing efficiently.

"We believe the Commission will be able to conduct the upcoming 13th national elections properly," he said while talking to journalists after paying tribute to BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman at Zia Udyan in the city on the occasion of his 90th birth anniversary.

Ziaur Rahman, the sixth president of Bangladesh and founder of BNP, was born on 19 January 1936 at Gabtoli in Bogura. One of the leading figures of the country's independence war, Zia declared Bangladesh's independence in March 1971 from Chattogram.

Asked about the BNP's position on various EC decisions and actions, including the cancellation of party nominations and the use of postal ballots, Mirza Fakhrul said, "There are always some problems during the selection process at the Election Commission. This is nothing new. From what we have seen so far, the Commission is working more or less competently."

He added, "We have already presented the issues we identified to the Commission on Sunday."

When asked about allegations of the absence of a level playing field at the grassroots level, Mirza Fakhrul said, "We have no such complaint."

Recalling Ziaur Rahman, the BNP secretary general said he [Ziaur Rahman] dedicated his life to democracy, independence, and the sovereignty of the country.

Fakhrul said Ziaur Rahman declared Bangladesh's independence, later introduced multi-party democracy, ensured freedom of the press and independence of the judiciary, and transformed Bangladesh -- once labelled a "bottomless basket" -- into a developing economy.

Fakhrul said the BNP has taken a pledge to rebuild a war-ravaged economy and to institutionalise democracy.

He added, "Through this pledge, the BNP and all its affiliated organisations commit to implementing the ideals of Shaheed Zia in Bangladesh."

BNP Standing Committee members Salahuddin Ahmed, Gayeswar Chandra Ray, and Mirza Abbas, among others, were present.

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