Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) senior leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain on Wednesday said though their party has reservation about the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), it is going to join the local body polls to observe the Commission’s activities.

‘An identified Awami League supporter has been made the CEC. We’ve registered our protest against it. We still think no fair and acceptable election can be held under such a person. The Awami League government has installed a Rakibuddin-style Election Commission as part of its plot to usurp power without people’s votes,’ he said, reports BNP.

Speaking at a discussion, he further said, ‘Even after that we want to assess the Election Commission’s activities. There’re some elections during the days ahead. These polls will expose whether the current Commission is like Rakibuddin-like one or not.’

Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (Jagpa) arranged the programme at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU) commemorating the BDR carnage that took place at Philkhana in 2009 killing 57 army officers.

The new EC, headed by KM Nurul Huda, has already declared schedules for elections to Comilla City Corporation and by-election to Sunamganj-2 fixing March 30 for voting.

Mosharraf, a BNP standing committee member, urged the government to reach an understanding with opposition parties for holding the next election under a non-party administration. ‘Only a neutral Commission won’t be able to hold an acceptable election until an election-time government is installed.’

‘There’s no alternative to installing a neutral government through a political understanding for resolving the political crisis, restore democracy and people’s voting rights,’ he added.