Deadlock over CCCI election drags on

CHATTOGRAM, Dec 27: Uncertainty continues to surround the biennial election of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), the oldest trade body of the country, as fresh legal moves have again stalled the process despite recent court directives.

Although a High Court order had cleared part of the way for holding the long-delayed election, the chamber administration had yet to announce a new schedule. Meanwhile, a fresh appeal filed by a businessman challenging the latest court ruling has once again cast

doubt over when, or if, the election

will be held soon.

The crisis dates back to the political upheaval following the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August last year, when a student-led mass uprising led to the resignation of the CCCI board on 2 September. Since then, the chamber has been run by an administrator. Nearly 11 months later, an election schedule was announced on 11 August, with voting set for 1 November. The process, however, has remained stuck in court ever since.

Representatives of at least seven business organisations, including the Chittagong Chamber, have expressed frustration over the prolonged delay. They say the chamber has effectively remained leaderless for almost a year, weakening Chattogram's ability to place business demands before the government at a time of major policy decisions.

"Despite the excuse of national elections, polls are being held in other trade bodies," several business leaders said, arguing that the delay reflects a lack of goodwill rather than unavoidable constraints.

Sources said the main legal complication centres on the CCCI's electoral structure and the absence of clear action by the election board. Under CCCI rules, 12 directors are elected from the general category, six from the associate category and three each from the town association and trade group categories. These directors then elect a president and two vice-presidents.

According to court and CCCI sources, CCCI initially wrote to the Ministry of Commerce seeking to exclude eight organisations from the town association and trade group categories. However, on 4 September, the ministry issued a letter allowing those organisations to participate.

Businessman Mohammad Belal, General Secretary of the Chittagong Garments Accessories Group, subsequently filed a writ petition challenging the inclusion of those two categories. Following a hearing on 22 October, the High Court issued a rule directing that the election be held without the participation of the two categories and stayed the ministry's 4 September letter.

The commerce ministry later appealed the order. On 30 October, the Appellate Division stayed the election for two weeks and directed the relevant High Court bench to resolve the dispute.

In its latest order on 11 December, the High Court ruled that six town association and trade group representatives would be allowed to participate in the election. Mohammad Belal then filed a counter-appeal against this decision, reopening the legal deadlock.

Explaining his move, Belal said the documents of the organisations included in the voter list were flawed. "Despite this, they were included, while we were excluded even though our documents are complete," he said. "Our lawyer's arguments were not properly considered, which is why the verdict has been challenged."

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