“Our chairperson is going to London for her treatment. She’ll return home soon on completion of her treatment, and place the framework of the election-time supportive government,” he said.
Mosharraf was talking to reporters in front of Shahjalal Airport before Khaleda’s departure for London.
Khaleda flew to London by an Emirates Airlines flight at about 7.35pm to receive medical treatment and spend time with her family members there.
Mosharraf said they will conduct a mass-contact programmes to elicit public support in favour of the government formula after it is presented before the nation.
He said their chairperson’s London tour is personal one, and she will stay at her eldest son Tarique Rahman’s residence there.
Mosharraf alleged that though many senior BNP leaders came to see Khaleda off, police did not allow them to go to the VIP terminal of the airport.
Meanwhile, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam yesterday said the Election Commission’s (EC’s) roadmap for the next parliamentary elections will not help resolve the ‘crisis’ over the election-time government.
“An election-time supportive government is a must for holding a neutral and fair election, and a dialogue on the matter is also very crucial right now.
So, the crisis (over the election-time government) won’t be over with the Election Commission’s roadmap,” he said.
The BNP leader further said, “There must have a road to election. But, we’ve so far not seen the road for the polls. We need the road first, and map will follow it.”
Fakhrul was talking to journalists at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office giving their party’s reaction to the roadmap for the next polls announced by the EC earlier in the day.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda unveiled a booklet of EC’s roadmap for the next general election. As per the roadmap, the commission will start dialogue with political parties and other stakeholders on July 31 next.
The Election Commission has a constitutional obligation to complete the next parliamentary elections by January 28, 2019 as the 10th parliament went into its first session on January 2014. But, it is planning to arrange the polls in late December 2018.
Fakhrul said their party will come up with a formal reaction to the EC’s roadmap in consultation with their party chairperson Khaleda Zia, now in London, and other senior leaders since it is a very sensitive issue.
He said it is now necessary to settle some issues, including the nature of election-time government, election procedure and the role of the EC during polls, through talks immediately.
About the CEC’s comment that the commission announced the roadmap to hold the next polls without any sort of influence from any quarter, the BNP leader said, though the EC’s intention looks good, the country’s situation is not conducive to holding the polls without the government interference.
“Even, now we’re not allowed to hold a rally.Our senior leaders who went to see our chairperson off (at Shahjalal Airport Saturday) were forced to stand on the road. So, we need to examine whether there is any election environment in the country,” Fakhrul observed.
Earlier at a press conference at the same venue, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi alleged that the CEC has made the roadmap alone without involving the other commissioners.”
According to EC rules, the roadmap should be prepared by all the commissioners but the CEC did it alone.”
l Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda said the Commission has not closed the option of using Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) in the next parliamentary election.
“We have not closed the door on using EVM in polls. If the government co-operates with us, it’s possible to use EVM in the next polls after talks with the political parties,” he said while unveiling the Election Commission’s (EC) roadmap for the next (11th) parliamentary election at a function in Dhaka.
Election Commissioners Begum Kabita Khanom, Mahabub Talukderm Rafiqul Islam and Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury and Secretary of the EC Secretariat Mohamed Abdullha were present in the meeting held at the auditorium of EC headquarters at Agargaon.
The CEC said the commission would take legal action if it faces any obstruction to work fairly after declaration of polls schedule. “The EC has no rights to interfere in any government activities before the announcement of (polls) schedule... It would work according to the laws and rules after declaration of schedule,” he added.
“We are optimistic that we can hold the next elections in a free and fair manner under the present government,” the CEC added.
According to the roadmap, the EC will hold dialogue with civil society members on July 31, Huda said, adding the EC will sit with journalists in August and with 40 registered political parties in August and September. The EC will also hold talks with the election observer organisations, woman leaders and election experts in October.
“It’s not only about government influence, but also about any political party and local and international agencies...we’ll be able to keep it free from any influence,” he said.
The CEC also hinted that the Election Commission has little scope to ensure a level-playing field for all political parties before the announcement of schedule for the next national election.
“It’s not a matter of us rather of the government which will oversee which political parties can hold meetings and bring out processions on the streets or not. We’re now thinking about only the election and how it can be made credible,” he said.
