report in Prothom Alo, Nov 26, 2023Gano Forum (a section), Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), and Bangladesh People’s Party have declared to boycott the upcoming parliamentary election. They made the declaration through separate press releases on Saturday night, saying they will not join any election under the current election commission as well as the current government. Gano Forum and People’s Party held a joint meeting at the former’s office on Saturday afternoon, with Gano Forum president…
Posts published in “Bangladesh”
by Tuhin Shubhra Adhikary/ Rashidul Hasan in The Daily Star, Nov 25, 2023At least 26 out of the 44 registered political parties have decided to take part in the January 7 national election. Only five of those had seats in the ninth parliament formed after the 2008 election, the last “accepted election” in the country. Twelve parties ran in the 2014 election which was boycotted by the BNP and most other opposition parties. Although 39…
by Tanjil Hasan in The Daily Star, Nov 25, 2023At least 300 factories continue to make these deadly fishing traps in Munshiganj due to lax monitoring and lenient punishmentAlthough a ban enforced by the government is in place for gill nets, locally known as current nets, to save fish species including hilsa from overfishing, the production and use of the nets have been continuing unabated. Experts said the absence of a sustained effort from different…
By Rashidul Hasan in The Daily Star, Nov 25, 2023Tension has grown in Jatiya Party as its wing authorised to sell nomination forms yesterday refused to give forms to the leaders loyal to Chief Patron Raushan Ershad. Several leaders, including opposition chief whip Moshiur Rahman Ranga and Khondokar Mahtab Uddin, have been denied the opportunity to buy forms from the party chairman’s Banani office, said party sources. Raushan, also the leader of the opposition in…
By Mohammad Al-Masum Molla in The Daily Star, Nov 25, 2023With the deadline for submitting nomination papers to the Election Commission only a week away, the BNP now faces two challenges: preventing defection from the party and drawing up fresh programmes to keep the anti-government movement going. Leaders of the party believe the government will crack down even harder on the opposition to foil the movement. The ruling Awami League is also trying to persuade…
Report in The Daily Star, Nov 24, 2023The Election Commission may consider deferring the date of the national elections if “one party” decides to participate in the polls, Election Commissioner Anisur Rahman said yesterday. He, however, did not name the party. The 12th JS polls is slated for January 7, 2024. BNP, a major political party, along with other like-minded allies are on the street demanding polls under a non-partisan caretaker government. Soon after the…
Report in The Daily Star, Nov 24, 2023Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas of grossly interfering in Bangladesh’s internal affairs. “At the end of October, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas met a member of the local opposition to discuss plans for organising anti-government rallies. Such actions amount to nothing less than gross interference in internal affairs,” she said in a briefing in Moscow. Russian Embassy in…
Academics express mixed reactionsby Shamima Rita in Dhaka Tribune, Nov 24, 2023In the midst of political turbulence and unrest in the country, the educational landscape finds itself in a challenging predicament. Due to the violent hartals and blockades, academic activities at many institutions, especially the annual examinations, have been severely disrupted. Against this backdrop, students from 15 schools in Dhaka formed separate human chains on the streets on November 21, simultaneously demanding a safe environment…
report in Prothom Alo, Nov 24, 2023The leaders of BNP and some like-minded parties and alliances on Thursday threatened that the people of the country will foil the government’s move to hold a lopsided national election on 7 January by using their all might. Speaking at demonstrations and rallies in different areas of the capital in support of their ongoing 48-hour blockade on Thursday, they also called upon the government to cancel the election schedule…
report in Prothom Alo, Nov 24, 2023Demanding that the election schedule be cancelled, 586 eminent citizens of the country have warned that a one-sided election will push the country towards conflict. They say that it is imperative that a neutral government be formed and a new schedule be given on the basis of talks, with the aim for a free, fair, impartial and inclusive election. This statement was issued yesterday, Thursday, by 586 eminent citizens…
report in Prothom Alo, Nov 23, 2023Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen stated that Bangladesh is closely monitoring the situation in Myanmar. In response to the escalating tension in Rakhine, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) is vigilantly observing the border to prevent any infiltration into Bangladesh. He made these remarks after a meeting of the National Task Force on Rohingya issues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday. During the meeting, there was an emphasis…