The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday (March 23) invited Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to a view-exchange meeting on the upcoming national general elections.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal sent a letter to BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. 

Election Commissioner Brig Gen (Retd) Ahsan Habib Khan confirmed the matter.

According to the letter, “Take felicitation. You (Fakhrul) are certainly informed that I took the charge as the CEC on February 27 last year. My commissioners also took charge on the day. After taking the charge, we have gradually held different levels of local government elections. The 12th national general elections will be held either December, 2023 or January 2024.”

“We are informed that the BNP has, from the beginning, rejected the incumbent EC by showing no-confidence with it. The BNP has expressed that it will not take part in the elections sans any non-party government. We have no remarks to your decision,” the letter reads.

“Although you (BNP) have rejected us, we think that a discussion or view-exchange may be held with you (BNP) for the sake of the greater interest of the country as the party is a registered under the EC.

“I invite you (Fakhrul), other leaders of your party and even needed the leaders of the like-minded parties to hold a view-exchange with the EC. If you agree, the date will be fixed later on,” the letter states.

BDST: 2156 HRS, MAR 23, 2023
MSK