DHAKA: An alliance of 18 opposition parties in Bangladeshi confirmed on Monday that it will not take part in countrywide general election scheduled to be held on January 5, while the deadline for filing nomination papers has ended.
Talking to media representatives on Monday, the vice president of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury ruled out any question of filing nomination papers for the January election under the present circumstances.
The candidates for the elections were required to submit their nominations papers till 5pm local time today. However, the election officials said that none of the BNP members filed nomination paper by midday.
“There is no question of us filing nominations for the January 5 election under the present circumstances. We’re not going to take part in the January 5 elections,” Chowdhury said.
The BNP vice president said that the BNP and its allied parties including the country’s largest Islamic party will only change their minds “if the polls are organised by a non-party, neutral government”.
The main opposition coalition is demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and transfers power to a non-partisan caretaker administration to oversee the elections because it believes any polls held under the current administration will be rigged.
But Hasina has rejected the opposition coalition demand and instead formed an interim multi-party cabinet which includes her allies to conduct polls.
