Staff Reporter:
Chief Coordinator of the National Citizens Party (NCP) Nasiruddin Patwari yesterday said elections to local government must be held before the national election.
“We had demanded the banning of the Awami League and it has been banned. But the Awami League’s Election Commission and constitution have not been banned,” he said.
Nasiruddin was addressing a protest rally organized to demand immediate reconstitution of the Election Commission (EC) and initiation of local government elections, taking into consideration the proposals from the Electoral Reform Commission.
The demonstration, which began at 11:40am, concluded around 2:15pm. Hundreds of NCP leaders and activists joined the event, chanting slogans demanding immediate reforms of the EC and the scheduling of local government elections.
Nasiruddin also said, “We are waiting for the July declaration. The Election Commission will be re-formed, local elections will be held, a Constituent Assembly election will be announced and we will move toward a beautiful Bangladesh. With this hope, we are ending yesterday’s protest.”
Earlier, on Tuesday night, at a press conference held at the NCP’s temporary central office in Bangla-motor, the party’s Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain announced the protest program in front of the EC office to demand reformation of the EC and the initiation of local government elections.
