Shakhawat Liton

Khaleda Zia's proposal for forming new Election Commission on the basis of consensus among political parties sounds good, but seems unrealistic in the current confrontational culture in politics. The BNP chief took a few weeks to come up with a set of proposals including some for strengthening the EC. But ruling Awami League took no time to reject the proposals as a whole.

Santals are infinitely more respectable than UK's civilised enemy, the Russians, wrote English writer and social critic Charles Dickens around 160 years ago.

Donald Trump keeps stunning the world.

Amidst protests and shock waves around the world over the US president-elect, Trump, in a week, sent another big blow to the forces worried over his election by picking right-wing firebrand Stephen Bannon as chief strategist in his administration in White House.

Whenever an attack was carried out on a minority community people in past there was no short of sympathetic words to victims and promises by the government policymakers: stern action would be taken against perpetrators regardless of the political affiliation. But no exemplary action was finally taken in almost cases. All the words turned into mere rhetoric. Promises were made to be broken.

By refusing the government's aid on Monday Santals give the message: they want their rights as citizens, not mere sympathy. Shouldn’t we collectively be ashamed for what we did with them?

He “walks” on his hands as he had lost both the legs at some point of time.

Millions of Americans are now wondering can Hillary Clinton still win the presidency. The only way is: a stunning surprise on December 19 and if more than two dozens presidential electors on that day do not cast their votes to formally elect Trump as the next president and vote for Clinton.

Misfortune has been haunting Democratic Party's presidential candidates for the last 200 years. The latest one, Hillary Clinton, has become victim to it as she won four hundred thousand more popular votes than Donald Trump, but could not win the presidency.

The Supreme Court has directed magistrates to take action against errant police officers whenever they find infringement of the law against torture and death in police custody.

Gripped by panic and anger at Donald Trump's win in the presidential election, Americans now want to know "how to impeach a president".

The bafflement and bewilderment among the saner heads are now widespread as the US election results show Trump has triumphed.

This presidential election is already labeled as ugly for negative and nasty campaign by the presidential contenders. But it may not be described as the dirtiest election in the history of American democracy.

Herbert Hoover is back!

Hillary Clinton has won a landslide in the newspapers endorsement race.

Separation of judiciary from the executive organs of the State was announced as one of the fundamental principles of the State policy in Article 22 of the new constitution of Independent Bangladesh.

Our history is full of glaring examples of how narrow political interests of successive military and political governments have undermined the fundamental spirit of our Constitution considered the fruit of the historic Liberation War.

The statement by Awami League (AL) to draw a distinction between the party and the government could be quite significant if it is in fact implemented. It would mean that party leaders will not simultaneously be able to hold posts in the party and the cabinet.

In real sense, the presidency is a ceremonial office with no effective power, as according to article 55 (2) the executive power of the country is exercised by or on the authority of the prime minister. So, portraying the powerless president as powerful in line of defence by the ministers against their opponents is only misleading.

"The powerless president may be made powerful in political rhetoric for gaining some political mileage. But this does not give him any authority to exercise. This will only be creating confusion about the president's real powers," opines Shakhawat Liton.