BNP has rejected claims by the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance regarding its discussions at the Secretariat on finalising a presidential candidate, saying the gathering was not a formal party meeting but merely an exchange of views.
The party said the decision had already been taken, with the presidential candidate having been announced earlier by the prime minister.
Speaking after submitting nomination papers for the presidential election at the Election Commission (EC) headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka this afternoon, BNP leaders said the election was not a “ceremonial election” but was being held in accordance with the Constitution and the Representation of the People Order (RPO).
Responding to opposition claims that the presidential election lacked legitimacy, Chief Whip and BNP Vice-Chairman Nurul Islam Moni said, “This is not a ceremonial election. The opposition is participating in it, not boycotting. This is the beauty of democracy. It is being conducted exactly as the Constitution and RPO require.”
BNP Standing Committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy said the opposition’s demand for reforms through a referendum and amendments to Article 70 was irrelevant to the presidential race.
“The referendum has no link with the presidential election. It can be implemented or not, but we will reflect it gradually through parliamentary elections,” he said.
Asked about the opposition’s allegation that Article 70 barred its candidate from winning, Moni said, “The prime minister has declared that every letter, comma, semicolon of the July Charter signed at the South Plaza will be implemented. The constitution is not changed for a single day. We invited everyone, took opinions, and want to amend the constitution and implement the July Charter accordingly.”
Earlier in the day, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad, who is also the coordinator of the party-led alliance, raised questions over BNP holding a meeting at the Secretariat to select its candidate for the presidential election.
“The Secretariat is an executive office. Holding a top-level political meeting there -- a meeting of the party's highest forum -- has no precedent in our records. For the past five or six months, there has been no change in their activities, as their secretary general himself has admitted,” he said.
