PM welcomes opposition decision to take part in polls

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has welcomed the Jatiya Okiyo Front (JOF) decision to take part in the 11th Jatiya Sangsad election saying their decision would strengthen the democracy.

“Participation of all political parties would strengthen the democracy as well as the pace of development,” she said while chairing a meeting of Awami League (AL) Parliamentary Nomination Board as the party president at the AL’s central office at Bangabandhu Avenue here this afternoon, BSS reported.

She extended her thanks to all political parties for the decision to take part in the upcoming polls saying “we will jointly contest in the poll the poll to reflect the verdict of the people”.

“We want a free and fair election and the party which will get people’s vote, will win in the polls,” the premier said.

She said during her recent weeklong dialogue with different political parties from November 1, 2018 “we have discussed the ways of holding a free and participatory election”.

“The opposition parties raised a number of demands in the dialogue and we have accepted most of them,” Sheikh Hasina said.

She said now her government would remain careful so that everybody could get equal opportunity to make the election a participatory one.

The prime minister said a total of 234 political leaders of 70 political parties took part in the dialogue that lasted for more than 24 hours.

The prime minister said Bangladesh was moving ahead and her party always wanted to continue the present pace of development and “the trend should not be stopped”.

Sheikh Hasina said her party would try to nominate the best candidates for the polls race for all the 300 constituencies but some seats would be shared with the candidates of the allies of the party.

Members of the party’s nomination board Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Kader, Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Rashedul Alam were present.