Staff Reporter :
The Election Commission (EC) will hold an electoral dialogue with journalists and media personalities on August 16 and 17 and with political parties in the 4th week of this month as a part of its election roadmap.
“Dialogue with journalists from online and television channels will be held on August 16, while with print journalists and media personalities on August 17. The EC will also initiate dialogue with political parties in the 4th week of the current month to take their opinions over the arrangement of the 11th Parliamentary elections,” EC Acting Secretary Muhammad Helal Uddin Ahmed told reporters at his Nirbachan Bhaban on Sunday.
The dialogue with journalists and media personalities is likely to begin at 11am on August 16, 17 at the EC Secretariat in Dhaka, he said.
The EC secretary said that the commission will sit with six political parties, two parties each day, before Eid-ul-Azha.
“Each of the parties will be allowed to join the dialogue with 10 representatives. The number of representatives of the political parties for participating in talks may be increased further if the EC feels,” he said.
After the Eid-ul-Azha, the EC will resume the talks with the other political parties on September 10.
All the 40 registered political parties will be invited for the dialogue gradually as per the registration list of the parties from the bottom.
The EC has also plan to hold talks with election observers, women leaders and election experts.
The EC earlier had invited 59 civil society members to join the dialogue. Of them, 35 participated while some others expressed their inability to attend for personal reasons.
Most of the civil society members spoke for restoring “no vote” system and ensuring a level-playing field for all political parties to hold the next election in a free, fair and participatory manner.
