BNP bats for swift general election after political consensus on reform

Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has again pushed for a prompt national election once a consensus on reforms is reached.

Speaking to the media after a joint meeting between political parties and the National Consensus Commission at the Foreign Service Academy on Dhaka’s Bailey Road on Saturday, Fakhrul expressed hope that a minimal agreement on reforms would soon lead to general elections.

He said, "We expect that a minimum consensus on reforms will be reached very soon, and based on that, the national election will take place as quickly as possible."

The meeting, which lasted for more than three hours from 3pm to 6:30pm, was attended by representatives from the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and 26 other political parties.

The session is the first since the formation of the National Consensus Commission on Feb 12, led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, with the primary goal of facilitating dialogue and building consensus on necessary reforms.

"The main focus of today's meeting was to initiate discussions between the political parties and the reform commissions," Fakhrul said.

Regarding the parliamentary and local elections, Fakhrul firmly said: "We have made it clear that the parliamentary elections must be held first, followed by local government elections."

He also said Saturday's meeting was only the beginning of discussions, with political parties expressing their opinions and no in-depth deliberation taking place.

Leaders from the Liberal Democratic Party, Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar), Nagorik Oikya, Islami Andolon, Khelafat Majlish, Ganosamhati Andolon, Gana Odhikar Parishad, and several other political parties also attended the meeting.