BNP leader Maj (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed said on Saturday that the demand for proportional representation (PR) in the next national election is aimed at creating a weak government.
Speaking at a discussion marking the 48th founding anniversary of the Bangladesh Labor Party at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity, Hafiz alleged that Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is pushing for PR to delay the election and ensure a weak government.
He opposed the recent amendment to the Representation of the People Order, which required alliance candidates to contest under their own party’s symbol rather than a common alliance symbol.
“In the past, BNP formed alliances and allowed partner parties to contest under our symbol, the Sheaf of Paddy. Even Jamaat, which claimed to be our opponent, used this symbol in the 2018 election,” he said, adding that the party will ask the Election Commission to allow all BNP alliance parties to use the symbol.
Hafiz also accused a neighboring country and its collaborators in the Awami League of plotting subversive acts to obstruct Bangladesh’s democratic transition.
He called for student military training and urged the government to hold a free and fair election in February, removing partisan advisers from the interim government.
