Mamunur Rashid

Amid brewing tensions between Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolon Bangladesh (IAB) over seat sharing, the Jamaat-led 11-party electoral alliance yesterday announced single candidates for 253 constituencies.

The crisis cast doubt on whether a final understanding can be reached before January 20 deadline for nomination withdrawal

If the 11-party alliance is unable to agree on backing a single nominee in some constituencies, it will keep those seats “open” for its all members.

After nearly three months of talks, alliance leaders say they are now cautiously optimistic about reaching an understanding across all 300 constituencies.

Inclusion of NCP in alliance further complicates calculation

Uncertainty has emerged over whether the electoral seat-sharing arrangement between Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolan Bangladesh will ultimately hold, despite both parties having worked for nearly three and a half months to consolidate Islamist votes under a single platform.

The National Citizen Party’s decision to join the Jamaat-led electoral alliance has touched off sharp debate in Bangladesh’s political circles. While some warn it could erode the NCP’s youthful promise and cast doubt on its future, others see it as a breakthrough for Jamaat-e-Islami.

The eight-party bloc, which includes Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolan Bangladesh, has yet to agree on seat-sharing for the general election, with the deadline for nomination papers set for December 29.

Attack on media outlet is unacceptable under any circumstances, Assistant Secretary General Zubair says

Political parties are accelerating preparations for the coming polls, with aspirants nearly finalised, alliances taking shape, and seat-sharing talks at full throttle.

The BNP has yet to decide whether it will campaign for a “yes” or “no” vote in the July charter referendum. The party says it is observing the situation and will make its decision later.

Once seemed like an endless deadlock, the long political storm surrounding the July charter’s implementation is finally subsiding as Bangladesh’s major parties retreat from their hard-line stances.

Despite uncertainty over how effective the Election Commission’s costly initiative to bring expatriate Bangladeshis into the voting process will be, Jamaat-e-Islami has been actively working to woo this voter base.

The government and the consensus commission have continued active engagement with the National Citizen Party in an effort to persuade it to sign the July Charter.

The National Citizen Party has decided not to attend today’s much-awaited July National Charter signing ceremony, let alone sign the document containing reforms agreed upon after months of intense talks.

The Jamaat-e-Islami exhibited a new logo in meetings between its Ameer Shafiqur Rahman and foreign diplomats yesterday without formally unveiling the new emblem.

Experts say Dhaka’s unchecked urbanisation and groundwater depletion heighten risks of sinkholes and subsidence

The National Consensus Commission yesterday sent the final July Charter to political parties, but talks once again ended in deadlock as divisions persisted over how to implement provisions requiring constitutional changes.

Dear children, can you ever forgive us?

Analysts say there is more than meets the eye