EU election monitoring delegation exchanges views with AL leaders

Dhaka, Sep 15 (UNI) The visiting seven-member delegation of European Union met with opposition Awami League leaders and exchanged views on ensuring free and fair parliamentary election.

During one-and-a-half-hour meeting at AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil's Gulshan residence yesterday, the delegation, led by Andreu Bruce, called for initiating dialogue between the government and opposition parties on electoral reform issues.

Mr Jalil told the EU delegation that free and neutral election would never be possible under the direction of K M Hasan, the probable Chief Adviser of the caretaker government, ''as he is not an impartial person''.

Awami League key leaders Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Motia Chowdhury, Dr Dipu Moni, Mohammad Ziauddin, Faruque Chowdhury, H T Imam, Dr Moshiur Rahman and Sajeev Wazed Joy, son of the opposition leader Sheikh Hasina, were present at the meeting.

The leaders appraised the delegation about the activities of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).

Terming CEC M A Aziz 'dishonest', the leaders said he is acting as a partisan after taking over the charge of the Election Commission to ensure political gains in favour of the ruling alliance.

Awami League wants to participate in the election after implementation of their reform proposals.

Briefing reporters, Mr Jalil said, ''Without implementing the reform proposals, the national election will be meaningless as it will not reflect the public mandate.'' He said opposition's reform proposals, the issues of voters' list and election came up for discussion at the meeting with the visiting EU delegation.

''We are here to monitor the situation ahead of the election which should be held in a free and fair atmosphere,'' Mr Bruce told the waiting reporters.

Sajeev Wajed Joy told newspersons that the AL leaders expressed their concern to the EU delegation over the newly updated voters' list which included some 1.4 crore fake voters.

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