The National Citizen Party (NCP) will form an electoral alliance only with political groups that support democratic reforms, party convener Nahid Islam announced on Wednesday.
Speaking after announcing the party’s list of candidates, Nahid addressed questions about the NCP’s decision not to align with the BNP-Jamaat coalition.
He said the party intends to maintain its political independence and integrity.
“We stand on our own politics and our own goals,” Nahid said.
“If we were to ignore the support we have received from the public and join another party, we would be viewed as compromised. We do not believe in that kind of politics”, he said adding, “Whatever the election outcome, we want to take our ideals directly to the people. Besides, our political philosophy and objectives are fundamentally different from theirs.”
Nahid said the NCP was formed only after other political parties failed to respond to people’s demands following the recent mass uprising.
“We have said repeatedly if, after the mass uprising, the anti-fascist political forces had reorganised themselves according to public expectations, such as reform, renewal, and the aspirations of young people, there would have been no need for the NCP,” he said.
“We waited seven months for existing parties to reach a consensus and implement the reforms demanded by the younger generation.”
He further alleged that the overall election atmosphere remains unsatisfactory, claiming that displays of weapons are occurring in several areas.
