The 12-Party Alliance has declared that all democratic political forces in the country want the national election to be held in December, not April. The alliance leaders stated that the people of Bangladesh did not push back authoritarian rule only to be deceived with an “April Fool’s” style move.
In a joint statement released to the media on Saturday, June 7, the alliance leaders said that the demand for a December election is not from a single party but from all democratic forces. They argued that holding elections in April would be impractical, as it coincides with students’ public exams and unstable weather, including seasonal storms and extreme heat. Therefore, in respect of both political and public demands, the election must be held in December, and the Election Commission should prepare accordingly.
The leaders also mentioned that an April election would fall shortly after the month of Ramadan, making election-related work unfeasible. Moreover, questions have arisen as to why Professor Muhammad Yunus, the current Chief Adviser, is seemingly pushing for an April election instead of December — and who he is trying to please by doing so.
They referred to Yunus’s recent statement at the Nikkei Forum, where he expressed a willingness to hand over the management of Chittagong Port to foreign hands, saying those who oppose this move will be “resisted.” The alliance condemned this stance, stating that such declarations are inappropriate for someone holding a top advisory position. According to them, Yunus has undermined his credibility and authority, and the management of the nation’s ports should be determined by the people of Bangladesh, not by foreign stakeholders or individual preferences.
The alliance further stated that political decisions regarding Yunus’s role as Chief Adviser would be made after Eid. Whether he will continue in this role should be decided by the citizens of the country, they emphasized.
The statement concluded by saying that an election before December is both possible and necessary. They claimed that even within the patriotic ranks of the military, the urgency for timely elections has been acknowledged, and they hope the people’s longstanding demand for a fair election will be fulfilled.
Signatories of the statement included:
- Mostafa Jamal Haider (Chairman, Jatiya Party and Chief of the 12-Party Alliance)
- Shahadat Hossain Selim (Spokesperson of the Alliance and Chairman, Bangladesh LDP)
- Syed Ehsanul Huda (Coordinator of the Alliance and Chairman, Bangladesh National Party)
- Dr. Golam Mohiuddin Ikram (Secretary General, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh)
- Rashed Pradhan (Vice President, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party – Jagpa)
- Lion Farooq Rahman (Chairman, Labor Party Bangladesh)
- Shamsuddin Parvez (Chairman, Kalyan Party)
- Maulana Abdur Rakib (Chairman, Islami Oikya Jote)
- Abul Kashem (Secretary General, Islamic Party)
- M A Mannan (President, Naya Ganatantrik Party)
-
Firoz Md. Liton (Chairman, Progressive Nationalist Party – PNP)
