Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury on Sunday said that his party believed it was extremely urgent to complete the national elections within this year after carrying out the necessary reforms.

He announced the position of BNP at a briefing after a meeting between the party’s secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and the European Union ambassador to Bangladesh, Michael Miller, at the party chairperson’s office in Gulshan.

Khasru said that the important issues in the current context of Bangladesh, including elections and reforms, were discussed with the EU ambassador.

‘From our side, we have emphasised the critical importance of completing the election within this year. Rather than diverting attention elsewhere, the focus must remain on moving directly towards the national election and ensuring a smooth transfer of power to an elected government to uphold Bangladesh’s democratic process in the days ahead,’ Khasru said.

He said that discussions were held on economy, particularly considering the strong economic ties between Bangladesh and the EU.

‘We have clearly outlined the BNP’s track record of economic success. To lift the country’s economy out of its current downturn, our party has already devised specific programmes,’ Khasru said.

The BNP leader also said that EU investors had expressed interest in investing in Bangladesh and that the party had warmly welcomed such interest during the meeting.

Khasru said that at the meeting they emphasised returning to a democratic process as quickly as possible as a country could not function for long under an undemocratic system.