Badiul Alam Majumdar, head of the Electoral System Reform Commission, has said that the reform initiatives undertaken by the Interim Government will take time to implement.
He made the observation after Chief of Bangladesh Army Staff, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, in an exclusive interview with Reuters said that he would support the interim government in holding the next general election within the next 18 months.
Responding to a query while addressing a press conference held at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Tuesday, Badiul Alam said, “I am not sure whether holding the next general election within the proposed timeframe is possible.”
“The reform process will take time, as there will be a dialogue between the interim government and the political parties. A roadmap will then be devised based on the outcome of the talks for a collective decision,” he said.
Responding to a query relating to the reform in the Election Commission, Badiul Alam said, “We have been given 90 days. We will hold a discussion on overall electoral issues and then present a recommendation, but it is not our responsibility to implement it.”
Earlier, the interim government formed six commissions to reform the constitution, electoral system, police administration, judiciary, anti-corruption commission and public administration.
The heads of commissions will begin their work by October and are scheduled to place their recommendations before the interim government by 31 December.
Later, the interim government will dialogue with the country’s political parties to reach a collective decision about holding the next general election.
