Chinmaya IAS Academy – Current Affairs Chinmaya IAS Academy – Current Affairs
Related Articles
BNP leader says they are in a ‘democratic struggle’
Bangladesh’s main Opposition party announced on Sunday that it would not boycott next month’s general election and would challenge Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the polls, despite its leader being in jail. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party said it would contest the December 23 election but has expressed fears it will not be democratic and has threatened protests. The BNP boycotted the 2014 election over fears it would be rigged, allowing Ms. Hasina to walk into a second term unchallenged.
Activists in detention
The Opposition says thousands of its activists have been detained in recent months, depriving it of a grassroots presence necessary to fight any polls. BNP veteran leader Khaleda Zia remains behind bars, her prison sentence doubled last month to ten years for corruption charges her supporters say were politically motivated. The two-term Prime Minister has virtually no time to appeal her sentence, and will almost certainly be banned from contesting the election. BNP senior leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the decision to contest the election was not easy given their circumstances. “We are going to the polls as part of a democratic struggle,” he said. The Opposition has formed an alliance with other parties, including Islamist outfits. Its main ally, the Jamaat-e-Islami, has been banned from contesting the election. But its leaders are expected to take part running on BNP tickets. The Opposition wants the election delayed by a month to ensure there is adequate time to campaign, but Bangladesh’s Election Commission has not responded to its request. The deputy head of Ms. Hasina’s Awami League, Obaidul Quader, has said that the ruling party has no issue deferring the poll if the decision is made. But early this month, Ms. Hasina rejected a request from BNP and its allies to dissolve Parliament and let a neutral caretaker government organise the election.
It had also asked for Ms. Zia to be released so she could run.
Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/opposition-to-challenge-hasinas-party-in-election/article25471390.ece
