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The Election Commission (EC) has taken steps to resume the tradition of broadcasting speeches by heads of political parties taking part in the parliamentary polls.
Officials are currently drafting a formal letter to Bangladesh Television (BTV) to facilitate the recorded addresses.
While 51 parties are set to contest in the Feb 12 election and referendum, the commission will shortly determine which party chiefs will feature and the specific broadcast schedule, reports bdnews24.com.
The move follows an earlier practice. In the run-up to the 2008 election, speeches by the leaders of major parties were aired during the final phase of campaigning.
The same arrangement was repeated ahead of the 10th general election, when BTV also sought specific guidelines for the broadcasts.
Election officials said decisions on whether speeches would be delivered by party chiefs or their representatives would be taken by BTV, based on factors including which parties are fielding candidates and the number of seats involved, in line with past precedent.
They noted that the practice was not maintained ahead of the 11th and 12th elections, but is now set to be reinstated.
Campaigning for the election will end at 7:30am on Feb 10. BTV is aiming to complete the broadcast of the speeches between Feb 9 and 10, before the campaign deadline.
When asked about the matter, EC Public Relations Director Ruhul Amin Mallik said on Monday that a proposal on airing party leaders’ speeches has been placed before the commission and, once approved, a letter will be sent to the BTV authorities.
He added that BTV will determine how the broadcasts are coordinated and how applications from political parties are handled.
On Tuesday, BTV Director General Md Mahbubul Alam said all decisions regarding the broadcast of party leaders’ speeches will be taken by the EC, adding that no final instructions have yet been received.
He said the EC will set the guidelines and BTV will invite parties accordingly once formal directions are issued.
Mahbubul also said although around 50 parties are contesting the election, priority may be given to major parties, particularly those fielding a large number of candidates, as airing speeches from all parties would be difficult within the limited time available before Feb 9.
Discussions with the EC will continue and arrangements will be finalised once directives are issued, he added.
In previous elections, including the 9th parliamentary polls, party leaders’ speeches were broadcast on BTV.
Ahead of the Dec 29, 2008 election, the leaders of the two main parties addressed the nation for more than half an hour each on the final day of campaigning, with Sheikh Hasina speaking at 8:30pm and Khaleda Zia around 9:15pm on Dec 27.
The current electoral landscape shows the BNP fielding the highest number of candidates at 292.
Islami Andolan Bangladesh follows with 253, while Jamaat-e-Islami has 224 contestants.
Other significant participants include the Jatiya Party with 192 candidates, Gono Odhikar Parishad with 90, and the NCP with 32.
Independent candidates constitute the third-largest group in this election.