Former state minister Mohammad Ali Arafat has appreciated the Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh, who advocated for a free, fair and inclusive election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recently, the Japanese envoy \u201cvery rightly\u201d said that a free, fair, and inclusive election is \u201cessential to building a more peaceful and resilient society, Arafat said in a post <\/a>on X on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBy definition, free and fair elections must be inclusive.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n Muhammad Yunus has asserted that, under his leadership, the nation will experience the freest and fairest election in its history. Arafat questioned how an election can be truly inclusive\u2014and therefore free and fair\u2014if the Awami League, Jatiya Party, and the other 14 minor party alliances, which together represent nearly 50% of the electorate, are excluded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “It would be the worst election in the nation\u2019s history\u2014prearranged and rigged,\u201d the former parliamentarian said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Arafat: Awami League will apologise to people, not usurper Yunus<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Election Blueprint: Yunus, allies are planning to retain power<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnfortunately, some apologists of Yunus\u2019s illegitimate regime are supporting him in staging this charade under the guise of an election; they are nothing more than his paid agents and hypocrites. We must expose them and reveal their true character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt should be noted that during the Awami League\u2019s tenure, all elections were inclusive, as no political party was ever forcefully excluded from the process. However, some elections were less participatory (though inclusive) because one major party, the BNP, chose not to take part.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Sunday, Arafat said that the responsibility of the administration and the Election Commission is to ensure an open and inclusive electoral environment in which all parties are free to contest. While a government can, in theory, ban a party and prevent it from joining an election, it cannot compel a party to participate if that party decides to abstain\u2014as was the case with the BNP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Election Commission\u2019s observer list lacks legitimacy and transparency<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n