Jamaat demands: Separate referendum in November, prepare for elections under PR system

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has demanded a separate referendum in November. In addition, the party has also called for preparations to hold the national parliament elections under the proportional representation (PR) system.

On Monday (October 13), Jamaat Nayebe Amir Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher told reporters after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin and other commissioners.

Jamaat Nayebe Amir said, "No fair election has been held under the current electoral system in the last 54 years. This raises questions about the transparency of the vote. Therefore, we have asked the commission to prepare for the proportional system in addition to the existing system."

Regarding the referendum, he said that the referendum should be held on separate days instead of holding the parliamentary elections and the implementation of the July Charter together. If it is held together, the importance of the referendum decreases as the candidates are busy with their election campaigns. Referendums have been successfully held in the past with an interval of 17 or 21 days. This does not incur much additional cost, only the ballot and some ancillary costs increase.

The meeting also discussed the proportional representation system. Jamaat said that this system is being effectively implemented in various countries.

In addition, the issue of voting rights for expatriate voters was also discussed. The Election Commission said that expatriates will be able to vote using their birth certificate in addition to their national identity card (NID).

Among other demands, Jamaat called for voting on the basis of NID to prevent fraudulent voting, maintaining impartiality in the appointment of election officials, and appointment of returning officers through lottery.

However, according to Election Commission sources, the commission has not yet taken any formal decision on the referendum.