What does the Local Government Reform Commission say about whether the national election will be held before or after the local government polls?
The commission submitted its final report to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Sunday.
As the commission head Tofayel Ahmed later addressed a press briefing, one journalist asked whether the local government elections would be held before or after the national elections, what did they recommend?
In response, Tofayel Ahmed said that they deliberately did not clearly state anything on this matter.
“The government and political parties should agree and decide on this. Local government elections are important, so the parliamentary elections are. It is baseless to say that if one is held, the other cannot be held. Both must be done,” he said.
However, the commission chief said: they want the local government elections to be held immediately because there is currently a void across the country.
“There is a void everywhere in the unions, districts, and upazilas, as well as in the municipalities and city corporations. This void is causing instability in the country. For a stable system, leadership needs to be brought to these institutions,” he added.
The commission chief said that they did not clearly state when and how this will be done because there is no need to create division by saying something without national consensus.
Emphasising the implementation of reforms before the elections, Tofayel Ahmed said, “There will be no benefit from holding any election without carrying out the fundamental reforms, whether it is a national election or a local election. Therefore, we have prioritised reforms. You hold elections after implementing the reforms.”
The Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary, Shafiqul Alam, and members of the Commission were present at the press briefing.
