Jukto Front places five-point demand over nat’l polls
Jukta Front, a new political alliance, led by Badruddoza Chowdhury and Kamal Hossain on Saturday placed five-point demand and nine-point goal ahead of the 11th national election in Bangladesh.
The leaders of the political platform came up with the demands at a press-conference at National Press Club in Dhaka.
The five points are:
i. To form a neutral government to ensure equal opportunities for all the parties after the dissolution of parliament before the announcement of the national elections schedule and forming the new government in consultation with all the political parties; and members of the election-time government will have to be barred from participating in the election.
ii. To constitute a new election commission with acceptable persons to ensure a free, fair and neutral election after discussions with all the political parties; and allowing all the media to exercise freedom of speech while the political parties the full right to hold rallies.
iii. To withdraw the false cases filed against leaders and activists of all the political parties, including students who led the “quota reform” and “safe road” movements, and releasing the detainees. And not to arrest any political leaders and activists of any political party until the election is over.
iv. Deployment of army, magistrates and law enforcement agencies in each election area and allowing the election commission to exercise its full authority over law enforcement agencies one month before and 10 days after the elections.
v. Dropping the idea of using EVMs in the elections and amending the Representation of the People Order (RPO) 1972 to create a level-playing field for all the political parties.
On 20 August last, Jukto Front, a coalition of three political parties -- BDB, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) and Nagarik Oikya, chairman and former president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury and Gano Forum president Kamal Hossain announced to forge an alliance of greater ‘unity’ in the ‘interest of the nation’.
