Parties disappoint CEC

“There is a constitutional obligation to hold the election (by Jan 24). But there is no sign of a compromise,” a disappointed CEC Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said on Thursday.
Talking to reporters at his office in capital Dhaka, he said the commission wanted an election with all political parties taking part.
He said the parties must reach an understanding for that to happen. "But until now we have seen no progress.”
The ruling Awami League is proceeding with its plan to hold the 10th parliamentary election under an ‘all-party’ government, but the BNP-led 18-party alliance is agitating for a non-party, caretaker administration to supervise the poll.
Ahmad, however, said he was still not abandoning hope. "Something can happen at the last moment,” he chose to believe.
He appealed to the feuding partied to end the impasse. “Discussion is the language of democracy. Problems have to be solved through discussions,” he reminded them.
The CEC said a compromise had to be reached with all the parties, and not just one or two.
He said the Jatiya Party's decision to boycott the polls was of no concern to the commission. “It’s a party's prerogative.”
Will the next parliamentary election be a one-sided one? “In democracy, elections are the only way to hand over power. We’re a constitutional body. We have to go by the Constitution,” Ahmad said.
The polls are due on Jan 5. The commission is currently scrutinising the nomination papers, which can be withdrawn til Dec 13.
Over 1,100 party and independent candidates have filed their nominations, but there are none from the 18-party alliance among them.