June 22, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-us-Sani 17, 1429

DHAKA, June 21: In line with the military-controlled caretaker government’s defiance of the opinions of the political parties, Bangladesh’s Election Commission has announced the schedules for the local government’s elections to four city corporations and nine municipalities setting August 4 as the polling day.

The Commission’s announcement came on Friday, amidst all the major political parties, particularly Begum Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League opposing any local body elections before the national polls to be held in December this year. The parties have already rejected the schedules.

However, the chief election commissioner, ATM Shamsul Huda, at a news briefing on Friday ‘hoped’ that the ‘local government polls would not create any adverse impact on the holding of national polls’ in December.

He announced the schedules for elections to four city corporations and 9 municipalities, saying that the rest would be announced later.

On the heels of the Election Commission’s announcement, the military- controlled caretaker government of Dr Fakhruddin announced a relaxation of the ban on outdoor politics in four city corporations and nine municipalities ahead of local elections in those areas.

A government circular in this regard said the government had relaxed the ban on political processions, rallies and meetings for the convenience of the local government elections.

‘The relaxation of Emergency Powers Rules will be applicable in the electoral areas from the day after the deadline for withdrawal of candidature (July 13), until voting day,’ the chief election commissioner, ATM Shamsul Huda said.

Meanwhile, the major political parties reacted sharply to the Commission’s announcement of the schedule for local elections.

A couple of political parties, however, the Jatiya Party led by former military dictator HM Ershad and Bikalpadhara Bangladesh, led by another former President Badruddoza Chowdhury, hailed the announcement of the schedule.

The BNP secretary general, Khandaker Delwar Hossain, told the media that the ‘caretaker government does not have any constitutional mandate to hold local government elections’. “No other polls would be allowed before holding of elections parliament,” he said renewing his party’s call for ‘withdrawal of the state of emergency by June and holding of parliamentary polls in October’.

Delwar observed ‘it is part of a conspiracy the Election Commission and the government are hatching to exert influence on parliamentary polls with an aim to form a subservient parliament.’

Awami League’s acting president, Zillur Rahman, came up with similar reaction. “It is not the responsibility of the caretaker government to hold local government elections. We think it is a part of a conspiracy… So, the commission should withdraw the schedule,’ the Awami League leader said. “By announcing the schedule, the election commission has stood against public opinions.”

The general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, Mujahidul Islam Selim, asked both the government and the Election Commission to follow the roadmap for national elections, …We will not allow any delay in holding parliamentary elections….’