Posts tagged with "election coverage"
Tuesday, 10. April 2007, 06:30:21
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Former prime minister and Awami League (AL) chief Sheikh Hasina was sued on April 09, 2007 in connection with an extortion of Tk 3 crore.
Tajul Islam Farook, chairman of Westmont Power Company, filed the case with Tejgaon police station under the non-bailable sections of the penal code.
In the case Tajul brought allegations against Hasina of extortion and abuse of power in 1998, when she was the prime minister.
Hasina, who is now on a visit to the US, recently made some comments there criticising the non-party caretaker government and the Election Commission for 'delaying' the next general election on 'different pretexts'. She is supposed to return home on April 26 or 27.
The case was filed at 4:15pm April 09, 2007, but Tejgaon police officials refused to comment on it. If the prima facie case is proven to be well-founded through investigation, an arrest warrant will be issued against the former prime minister, according to the law.
The case was filed under sections 385, 386, 387 and 109 of the penal code. In accordance with the sections, a person can be sentenced to five years to life in jail if the court finds him or her guilty.
According to the constitution a person is not eligible for contesting in elections, if she/he is convicted of a crime and sentenced to at least two years in prison on charges of moral turpitude, unless five years have passed since his or her release from jail.
Following the launch of the ongoing crackdown on suspected corrupt politicians on February 4 by the caretaker government, speculations have been mounting that there might be a change in the leadership of major political parties.
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Tuesday, 27. March 2007, 07:54:25
asian tv channels, bangladeshelection, election coverage, rtv
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The Election Commission (EC) has finally decided to prepare simultaneously national identity cards and a voter list with photographs for holding the stalled ninth parliamentary election.
The massive undertaking is likely to start after July and it will require at least a year to be completed. So, the ninth parliamentary election might be held at the end of 2008 or in early 2009 after the task is completed, senior officials of the EC Secretariat predicted.
"The work of preparing the Voter list and national identity cards will start simultaneously following a single procedure. There is no point in spending time and money separately for the tasks," Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda said.
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Friday, 16. March 2007, 06:25:14
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Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina said the AL, if voted to power, would legitimise the activities of the present caretaker government as it has earned the confidence and appreciation of the people.
She said the government should hold the polls while this confidence and respect is there.
Sheikh Hasina said it would be good for the caretaker government and the country if Parliamentary election was held as early as possible to save democracy.
"Delaying election in a democratic process is not a good sign...the caretaker government should hold the polls earlier to save democracy," she said, adding that it would not be good to keep the election postponed for an indefinite period.
Terming the caretaker government an "outcome" of the Awami League-led alliance's movement, Hasina said it would be shameful and also a failure for them, if the caretaker administration failed to hold free and fair election at the right time.
Hasina urged the caretaker government to continue the drive against thieves, corrupts and those who grabbed and smuggled out people's wealth. "But some innocent people had been arrested during this drive. Why Obaidul Quader and Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir were arrested? How much wealth they have?"
She said: "When I spoke against the corruption of the coalition government, everybody thought it was due to political vindictiveness. But the current drive has proved that BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami are really corrupt."
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Monday, 5. March 2007, 07:53:51
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The Election Commission (EC) has plans to introduce voter identification cards for the next parliamentary election while the chief election commissioner (CEC) said the commission's roadmap for the poll will be disclosed within two or three weeks.
In response to a High Court (HC) ruling suspending all polls for three months since Jan 29, the date of the ruling, the EC will inform a HC division bench today about its plans to introduce voter ID cards.
CEC ATM Shamsul Huda told a BNP delegation that the EC plans to inform the nation about its roadmap for the next parliamentary election, BNP Vice-chairman MK Anwar, who led the four-member delegation, told reporters after their meeting with the CEC and other two election commissioners.
The BNP delegation asked the EC to initiate steps for holding the stalled ninth parliamentary election within six months since the formation of the caretaker government on January 12.
"Our expectation is that the next parliamentary election will be held by July 11. The chief election commissioner informed us that they will inform the nation in the next two or three weeks about a roadmap for holding the parliamentary election," MK Anwar said.
The BNP delegation met the CEC three days after a high-powered Awami League delegation had met him demanding holding of the stalled ninth parliamentary election by June.
Jatiya Party led by HM Ershad is scheduled to meet the CEC on March 5 and the Communist Party of Bangladesh will meet him the next day, sources said.
Emerging from the hour long meeting, the BNP delegation chief said holding the parliamentary election as early as possible is within the EC's jurisdiction.
"We hope the reconstituted Election Commission will be able to present a free and fair election. We will extend all cooperation for a free and fair election," MK Anwar, also a former minister, said.
He said the CEC informed them about the EC's initiatives for electoral reforms.
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Friday, 23. February 2007, 08:23:57
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The Election Commission (EC) is preparing a set of reform proposals including the ones for independence of its secretariat and stringent electoral laws to ensure the next parliamentary election is free and fair.
Making registration of the political parties’ mandatory, barring the utility service bill defaulters from contesting the polls, introducing transparent ballot boxes and increasing a candidate's election expenditure from Tk 5 lakh to Tk 10 lakh will also figure in the proposals.
The reforms envisage that civil or military bureaucrats cannot compete in an election before three years since their retirement. None will be allowed to stand from more than two constituencies. According to the existing laws, a person can contest at the maximum for five seats.
Besides, it is pondering if implementation of the election manifestos could be brought into a legal framework, making it compulsory for the party voted to power, the sources added.
Once the proposals are finalised, the EC will submit those to the caretaker government.
The government has already amended the Emergency Power Ordinance (EPO) to bar those convicted of corruption by a trial court from running in any election until disposal of appeal against the verdict.
Political experts observe that many big names rounded up by the joint forces might not be able to contest the next parliamentary election.
Alongside the government's efforts to rid politics of corruption, the EC is taking initiative to make electoral laws stricter to make sure the polls are free of corrupt practices and influence of black money.
On orders from the commission, senior officials at the EC Secretariat are working on the proposals for reforms in the electoral system. They are also reviewing the recommendations submitted on different occasions by the civil society members and election watchdogs, the sources said.
If the proposals are enacted, unregistered political parties will not be allowed to take part in the election. Besides, one intending to register with the EC will have to show a minimum popular acceptability. In that case, the EC will use a yardstick to measure the support a political party enjoys among the populace. The measures aim to keep the name-only parties from the polls.
A registered party will have to follow its constitution strictly in its functioning. It will have to have its accounts audited. The registration might be cancelled on violation of any provision of the laws.
Currently, the registration is optional. None of the major political parties has applied for enrolment since introduction of the relevant law in 2001.
The EC also plans to devise a mechanism to prevent use of unauthorised money by the political parties and candidates, the sources added.
Before the 2001 election, the commission's initiative to ban utility service bill defaulters from the polls failed in the face of opposition from the major political parties. This time, it is determined to have the necessary provisions in effect as the caretaker government has already hinted at massive reforms in the electoral system.
Many of the former lawmakers will have to pay their outstanding bills if they are to contest the election with the proposed law coming in force. Some 183 members of the last parliament owe the government Tk 1.25 crore in telephone bills.
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Thursday, 15. February 2007, 07:27:35
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Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus said he would take part in the next parliamentary elections even as an independent candidate in case he fails to complete the process of launching his party before the election.
Reaffirming his plan to enter politics and form a new party, he said he would take decision about floating a political party with a new vision within this month.
Prof: Yunus also said he is ready to terminate his connection with Grameen Bank in the interest of the people.
"If I join politics, I will no doubt leave the bank, because politics and Grameen Bank cannot go together," the microcredit trailblazer said. Earlier on Sunday, Yunus wrote an open letter to the people, seeking views on his idea of forming a party with a goal to present the people of the country with a fresh democratic political culture replacing the outmoded one.
"I have got tremendous support from the people for launching a new political party and I will announce 'yes' or 'no' within this month," he said.
Ruling out the possibility of joining any of the existing political parties, the Nobel laureate said he will contest the next election as an independent candidate if the process to form his party is delayed.
"A political party is not a must to contest the election, I can compete as an independent candidate," he said.
On legal bars to political activities under the existing state of emergency, Yunus said he would go by the law. "I have all the respect for laws, and whatever I do, I must do that obeying the existing laws of the land.
"We want to have a good environment created through the election and do not want to see the country plunged in chaos again," he said.
"I want to be in politics for the commoners, who would be the foundation of my politics," he added.
Political goodwill and worthy leadership can ensure good governance which will ultimately help build a prosperous Bangladesh by properly utilising the inherent creativity and enthusiasm of the commoners. "Bangladesh has an immense potential, and we have to tap it by ensuring worthy political leadership and culture," he said echoing a paragraph of his open letter.
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Saturday, 10. February 2007, 07:11:19
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The great challenge for the present caretaker government is to conduct proper investigation into the cases of the corrupt white-collar people and putting them on trial so that politics is made a place for honest and qualified people, eminent economist Prof Wahiduddi Mahmud said at a seminar.
"We do not have experience in trying such people for 'red-telephone' corruption. Signatures of so many are found in files of tenders that it becomes difficult to identify who the real culprits are," he said.
Arresting the accused is not enough, justice and barring them from participating in the next election needs to be ensured, he said at a seminar at the National Press Club on "Electoral reforms: Immediate priorities for maximum impact".
Mahmud said the government should create an environment so that the political parties are forced to nominate honest and qualified candidates.
The chief panellist of the seminar said many legal reform proposals, some of which may not be practical, would not bring significant changes if they were not implemented properly.
"We also should not be too much technology dependent. For example, introduction of voter ID card is a huge task and we don't want the present government to initiate a project and fail," he noted.
"What we need is a good political culture and mass awareness. The Election Commission (EC) however should be strengthened to punish the violators of the electoral rules," Mahmud said.
The PPRC put forward a number of proposals emphasising independence, accountability, and strengthening of the EC and transparency of the political parties to ensure a meaningful election.
The necessary amendments to the Representation of the Peoples Order (RPO) for electoral reforms are possible through the president's ordinance, said Prof Dr Asif Nazrul of Dhaka University who presented the PPRC's keynote speech.
"The EC must be able to function without the influence of the prime minister's office and spend its own budget independent of the finance ministry," he said, adding that it should also be allowed to impose hefty penalties and punishments and debar candidates from running for election in cases of violation of electoral laws.
Stressing transparency of the EC, he said it should be mandatory for the EC to publish on a website an annual report of its activities, decisions, proceedings of its meetings.
The election expenditure of the candidates should be made through the EC, which would print materials for them. The regulations for disclosing of the finances of the candidates should be strengthened. "People must have unfettered access to all information about the candidates' as furnished to the election authorities," Asif said.
He said utility bill defaulters and government officials who had been on retirement for less than three years must be disqualified for contesting in the election.
In the presentation, Prof Asif said registration of political parties and their accounts and income-sheet verifications should be made mandatory, while the electoral-dispute solutions should be done in the shortest time possible.
His proposals also include limiting the number of adjournments in court, simplifying the processes of the EC and abolishing the exemption of MPs from appearing before court.
Shushashoner Janya Nagorik (Shujan), an NGO, Secretary Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar endorsed most of the proposals and added the proposals of introducing "no vote", reducing the election expenditures and holding projection meetings for the candidates and demarcating the constituency on the basis of the number of voters.
Former law minister Abdul Matin Khasru said 60 percent problems in the election will be solved if the High Court order on the candidates' disclosures is properly implemented.
He suggested formation of a committee to appoint the election commissioners instead of the prime minister's unilateral decision on the issue and remove the High Court judges who were appointed during the last BNP government.
Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman of PPRC, who moderated the seminar, said the job of the MPs should also be defined. "It is not acceptable that an MP will be president of all the educational institutions of his constituency," he said.
He also stressed the upazila elections be held within a short time before or after the national elections. "There will be a great impact of it in the national politics as a campaign against corruption is now on," he added.
Munira Khan of Fair Election Monitoring Alliance and Supreme Court advocate Ruhul Kuddus also spoke on the occassion.
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Monday, 5. February 2007, 07:47:10
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The joint forces finally made a move against the hitherto untouchable corrupt big fish’s of BNP and Awami League (AL), detaining seven former ministers and several other top politicians of both the parties, the names of which have become synonymous to unbridled corruption over the years.
The high profile detainees include Nazmul Huda, Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Mohammad Nasim.
The arrests, which came three weeks into former central bank governor Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed led caretaker government's declaration of war against corruptionists and criminal godfathers, were made in the first three hours of Janurary 4.
Preparations are on to bring graft charges against the detainees, according to sources.
The joint forces also have the names of 41 other top politicians and businessmen on their wanted list and will soon make an announcement for them to surrender, the sources said.
Apart from former communications minister Huda, and former prime minister Khaleda Zia's parliamentary affairs adviser SQ Chowdhury, other detainees from the BNP fold are former state minister for civil aviation Mir Nasir Uddin, former Dhaka-10 lawmaker and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's political secretary Mosaddak Ali Falu, former state minister for power Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, former state minister for labour and employment Amanullah Aman, former deputy minister for land Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu, former lawmaker from Khagrachhari Abdul Wadood Bhuiyan, former lawmaker from Sylhet Naser Rahman who is also former finance minister Saifur Rahman's son, and former lawmaker from Comilla Manjurul Ahsan Munshi.
Arrestees from AL are former home minister Mohammad Nasim, Adviser to AL and Beximco Vice-chairman Salman F Rahman, former state minister for planning Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, former member of parliament (MP) Lotus Kamal, and Swechhasebak League General Secretary Pankaj Devnath.
The security forces also raided the houses of Ali Asgar Lobi, a former BNP MP, Hasnat Abudullah, former chief whip and cousin of AL President Sheikh Hasina, Jubo League Chairman Jahangir Kabir Nanak, and it’s Secretary Mirza Azam, but did not find any of them.
The forces seized two firearms and 137 bullets from Ruhul Quddus Talukder's house at Alaipur in Natore town and his village home at Ramsa, Kazipur.
None of Jamaat-e-Islami however was arrested during the drive and none of the detainees were produced before the court or handed over to police till filing of this report.
According to well placed sources, the detainees are being interrogated in army custody but details of it could not be learnt immediately and the government did not make any official statement in this regard.
However, advisers to the caretaker government Barrister Mainul Husein and Maj Gen (retd) MA Matin yesterday said the detainees were arrested 'most probably' on charges of corruption.
Although military governments cracked down on politicians in the past, successive political governments miserably failed to rise above narrow party interests, and rather arrested and harassed only rival politicians.
Former military ruler HM Ershad however was punished for corruption and served time in jail, creating the lone exception in the political culture.
Since assuming power on January 12, the seemingly resolute interim government uttered strong words promising curbing of corruption, and depoliticisation of the administration and public institutions.
Saying that pervasive corruption and plundering of national wealth by a handful of dishonest people pushed the national economy, society and politics into a disastrous state, Chief Adviser Fakhruddin said in his January 21 address to the nation that tough actions would be taken soon in a methodical way to curb corruption.
The caretaker government will continue the crackdown on corruptionists irrespective of their positions in the society or in political parties, adviser Mainul Husein and MA Matin said.
"If evidence of corruption is found, the government will not hesitate to take steps against the top politicians," Mainul said.
"Only proofs of corruption will matter in taking such actions, neither the identities of the persons nor their positions in parties will be considered," said Adviser Maj Gen (retd) Matin adding that actions will be taken even against those at the highest levels in political parties.
Hours into the declaration of the state of emergency, security men arrested former AL lawmaker Kamal Majumder in Dhaka. Among those who were arrested later are Giasuddin Al Mamun, Chittagong BNP leader Dastagir Chowdhury, and Tangail transport leader Murad Siddiqui.
Security men recently also barred Gias Quader Chowdhury, Salman F Rahman, and Tanjim Ahmed Sohel from going abroad.
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Wednesday, 31. January 2007, 06:54:04
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The science and ICT ministry has proposed an eight-member expert committee for the preparation of a report on the proposal for introduction of voter identity cards, an adviser to the interim administration said on Monday.
Headed by the vice-chancellor of BRAC University, Professor Jamilur Reza Chowdhury, the committee includes, among others, Mashrur Ali, a professor at BUET, Mostafa Jabbar of Ananda Computers, a joint secretary to the Ministry of Science, Information and Communication Technology, and the executive director of Bangladesh Computer Council.
The science and ICT adviser, Tapan Chowdhury, told reporters at the secretariat on Monday that the terms of reference for the committee would be prepared later. The adviser, however, could not give an idea how long the committee might take to submit the report on the introduction of voter identity cards.
‘The government will decide on the reparation of ID cards after getting a clear idea about the technical aspects including time and expenses involved,’ said the adviser who is also in charge of the power, energy and mineral resources ministry.
Last week the adviser told reporters that the government would make clear within seven days whether it was going to introduce voter ID card before the next general elections. He said at that time that it would not be possible for the interim government to prepare national ID cards which the government was thinking about initially.
Textiles and jute adviser Geeteara Safiya Chawdhury said, the interim government at the moment was trying to cope with the routine work of the ministries. ‘Moreover, we will have to identify some policy-related problems and initiate some work on the basis of short-term policy.’
She said some people had been assigned for preparing a concrete proposal for discussions with the political parties.
‘We should be given time to do our work. We do not want to commit any mistake in making decisions,’ the adviser mentioned.
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Monday, 29. January 2007, 06:29:00
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Bangladesh's political scene has been tumultuous since independence. Periods of democratic rule have been interrupted by coups, martial law, and states of emergency.
There is a proverb in Bangla which loosely translates into: If you have two Bengali's you will have three political parties. This is kind of evidenced in the existence of over 100 political parties. Most of these are small, fringe parties formed mostly by a small coterie of like minded intellectuals or politicians who usually have broken away from larger groupings.
In the midst of this confusing scene, there are 5 major political forces in the country. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies form the right-of-center to conservative grouping in Bangladesh. The party is currently in power in Bangladesh. The current opposition is led by the Awami League (AL), which initially saw its birth as a socialistic organization but has now transformed into a center/center-left political stream. The extreme right or left, while not supported by a large fraction of the populace, are typified by having very dedicated followers. To the left are the pro-Soviet Bangladesh Communist Party, factions of the Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal, and other socialist groups advocating revolutionary change. To the right is a group of parties, including Jamaat e Islami and Islami Oikyo Jote, who calls for an increased role for Islam in public life. The fifth major pary is the party founded by ex-military ruler General Ershad, the Jatiyo Party (JP) is ideologically not too different from the AL or the BNP but operates independently.
There is a singular lack of tolerance in the political system where the major opposition parties are often at violent loggerheads. While Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy with reasonably free and fair elections, opposition to government policies is often displayed through violent demonstrations and enforced strikes (hartals). This is irrespective of which party is in power. In recent years the major opposition parties have boycotted parliamentary sessions.
Trade-unions and student wings mirror the political inclinations of the parent parties. Activities are more confrontational than positive. While real students often led the major political movements in Bangladesh including the Language Movement and the drive towards independence, student politics today is more dictated by non-students used as political fodder by there elder paymasters - including extortion, land-grabbing, attacking the media and violently opposing dissenting views.
The party in power usually takes advantage of state resources to suppress opposition activities. Opposition to ruling government policies are often portrayed as anti-state treasonable activities and the state police machinery is used to make politically motivated arrests and repression of opposition members.
Local representative government is not well developed in many rural areas, but holds great potential. The local government, or Union Parishads, holds elections for their chair and membership. Each Union Parishad covers around 15 to 20 villages, encompassing around 25,000 people. In many cases, the Union Parishads have been unable to challenge the domination of central government, and are not democratically accountable.
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