No choice but to hold elections on time by Jan. 28, says Bangladeshi official

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) — Dismissing any chances of delay in Bangladesh's upcoming general elections, an official from the South Asian country told Anadolu on Wednesday that there is no alternative than to hold elections by end of January next year.

"We don't have any alternative than to hold the election by Jan. 28, 2024, according to the Constitution. We are all set to announce the election schedule before Nov. 15," election commissioner Md. Anisur Rahman said, underlining that the body has completed all necessary preparations to hold the ballot on time.

Meanwhile, the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party, and their allies are observing the third phase of a nationwide protests to last 48 hours.

The opposition parties demand the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina step down and hand power over to a neutral administration to hold the election.

Bahauddin Nasim, joint secretary of the ruling Awami League party, told Anadolu that the opposition BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami are committing "violence to foil the election but the government is determine and all prepared to hold the election on time."

The fresh shutdown has forced the government to tighten security.

At least 13 opposition members, including a journalist and a police officer, have been killed, while over 8,000 BNP supporters, including most of the party's top leaders, have been arrested since Oct. 28.

Meanwhile, at least two workers, including a woman, were killed in clashes between ready-made garment workers and police in central Gazipur which began on Oct. 30.

Unrest has been on the rise in Bangladesh, as fashion industry workers in the capital Dhaka and surrounding areas have been taking to the streets, demanding an increase in wages.