Key partners of the 11-Party Alliance -- Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, and National Citizen Party (NCP) -- have yet to finalise their positions ahead of the upcoming presidential election.
The opposition parties said they would decide, after internal discussions and consultations within the alliance, whether to field a candidate, support another contender or take a different position.
The Election Commission (EC) yesterday announced the schedule for the presidential election, with voting set for August 20. However, if opposition parties do not field candidates, the election may not require a vote.
Speaking to The Daily Star today, Jamaat Assistant Secretary General and head of its media wing, Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair, said it was too early to announce the party's position on the presidential election.
Asked whether Jamaat would nominate its own candidate, support another contender, or boycott the election, he said, "Nothing can be said at this moment. We have a meeting tomorrow (Saturday), where the issue will be discussed."
Party sources said Jamaat's central executive council is scheduled to meet tomorrow, where the party's position on the presidential election may be determined.
Another key member of the alliance, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, has also yet to reach a decision.
"We have a party meeting tomorrow, and Jamaat also has a meeting. A joint decision will be made after discussions," Khelafat Majlis Secretary General Maulana Jalaluddin Ahmad told The Daily Star.
NCP Member Secretary Akhtar Hossen also said his party had not yet made any decision regarding the presidential election.
"We will discuss the matter internally and then make a decision. Only after that will we be able to say anything," he told The Daily Star.
Hamidur Rahman Azad, coordinator of the alliance's liaison committee, indicated that the positions of Jamaat and the other parties would become clear on Saturday.
According to the EC schedule, August 13 is the deadline for submitting nomination papers. It will become clear that day whether voting for the presidency will actually take place.
Scrutiny of nomination papers is scheduled for August 16. If only one valid candidate remains after scrutiny, the EC will declare that candidate elected on the same day.
Under the constitution, only members of parliament are eligible to vote in the presidential election. Given the BNP's overwhelming majority in the current parliament, the party's nominee is widely expected to secure the presidency, although BNP has yet to officially announce its candidate.
Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad has been serving as acting president since President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned on July 24. The constitution requires that a new president be elected within 90 days of the office becoming vacant.
