Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Muhammad Yunus-led Bangladesh’s interim government on Saturday once again reaffirmed that Bangladesh’s national election will be held on schedule in the first half of February next year, vowing to resist any attempt to delay or derail the polls.
“This is the solemn commitment of the interim government,” said an official statement, adding: “All conspiracies, obstructions or attempts to delay the election will be firmly resisted by the government and our democracy-loving patriotic people. The people’s will must prevail and no evil force will be allowed to undermine our march to democracy.”
Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam echoed the resolve, telling journalists, “We are saying firmly that the election will be held in the first half of February. There is no force that can stop it. The election will definitely be held before February 15.”
Asked if the current political situation was suitable for polls, he replied, “You can collect statistics from the police headquarters. Compare the law-and-order statistics with last year’s to see whether the situation has deteriorated. We believe there is a sufficient environment to hold the upcoming election.”