Less than two weeks before the 90-day countdown for holding the general election begins, a number of contentious political issues remain unresolved. The issues include the nature of the polls-time government and dissolution of parliament before announcement of the election schedule-two key demands of the National Unity Front and some other opposition parties.
The Election Commission has said it would announce the schedule any day after the countdown begins on October 31.
The government and the ruling Awami League have already rejected the opposition demand for dissolution of parliament and formation of election time government in consultation with the political parties, saying that the election will be held in line with the constitutional provisions-that is under the current sitting government.
So the position of Election Commission is clear. It is not concerned with arranging level playing field in terms of parliamentary system of democracy. The Chief Election Commissioner has made it clear to the European Union representatives that he will follow the law and constitutional provision as they exist.
In short, he will take into consideration how the election process introduced unilaterally by the government goes against free and fair election. He forgets his constitutional obligation and commitment to the people to ensure level playing field for free and fair election. He is not applying his own judgement about free and fair election as such the Election Commission is not fulfilling its constitutional obligation. Such an Election Commission is irrelevant for free and fair election.
So, it is clear that the Election Commission is totally unmindful of its constitutional duty to create level playing conditions for free election.
We have also to criticise the European Union for not properly understanding the government’s conspiracy against the election. The government remains in power to announce election victory for the government without any reference as to how people cast their votes. The votes will be in the ballot boxes and the results will be announced by the designated election engineers of the government.
Such a backboneless Chief Election Commissioner must resign if he has any sense of patriotism.
We admire Mahbub Talukdar, one of the Election Commissioners who took a brave stand that discussion should be held with the various political parties about what they have to say.
The Chief Election Commissioner must forget his past position as loyal servant of the government.
