Muhammed Yunus Stays Vague on Holding Bangladesh Elections
Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Professor Muhammad Yunus at the G20 Social Summit Image Credit X.com @ChiefAdviserGoB
Bangladesh Chief Advisor Links Holding Elections to Reforms
By Raisina Correspondent
New Delhi, November 20: Chief Advisor of the Interim Government of Bangladesh Muhammed Yunus remains vague about holding elections. Yunus linked holding elections to conducting reforms in Bangladesh.
In an interview to al Jazeera, Yunus remained evasive about holding elections. “It will depend on reforms. Elections will be held as soon as reforms take place,” Yunus told Al Jazeera in an interview.
The Chief Advisor of the Interim Government repeatedly told the Qatar-based broadcaster that reforms could take as long as four years. “You mean to say there could be no elections in Bangladesh up to four years,” asked the broadcaster.
“The reforms may take up to four years. It will be up to the political parties. If they want reforms, then elections will take longer time to take place,” Yunus told the broadcaster. The Chief Advisor of the Interim Government has lobbed the timing of holding the elections into the court of the political parties.
Awami League of the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina remains at the loggerheads with the Interim Government. Activists of the Awami League accuse the Interim Government of orchestrating attacks on the party leaders in Bangladesh after Hasina left the country.
The Bangladesh National Party, another principal national political outfit, is also not showing interests in contesting elections. Khalida Zia was freed from the jail after Hasina was ousted from power after the violent protests in the Islamic nation.
The student leaders who led the violent protests have also dropped hints that they would consider forming a political party. A number of such student leaders are part of the Interim Government in Bangladesh.
Yunus in his past conversations has spoken of reforms in the Election Commission. In an interaction with editors of Dhaka-based newspapers, Yunus had given a broad view of the reforms that are needed in several of the institutions.
Political observers in Dhaka claim that Yunus would not be inclined to hold elections in the near future. The editors of Bangladeshi newspapers had also told Yunus that he should take as much time as required for unveiling institutional reforms.
Also, it appears that holding elections may not be a priority for the Interim Government. Yunus has task on hand to avoid sovereign financial default on the lines of Sri Lanka. The Yunus-led Interim Government is hoping to get a bail out package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
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