Elections are never cent percent perfect: Quader tells UN

The ruling Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Sunday said there is no instance in the world where general elections were hundred percent fair and perfect.Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, came up with the statement when his attention was drawn over a comment of Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, on the
Bangladesh’s December 30 elections.
The AL general secretary was talking to the reporters at the Setu Bhaban in the city’s Mohakhali area on Sunday.
Earlier, responding to a query regarding the allegations of vote rigging, intimidation and crackdown on opposition over the December 30 national polls, Stéphane Dujarric said, “It is obvious that the
elections were not perfect.”
He was speaking at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday, according to the UN website.
Quader said: “UN said the December 30 polls were not perfect but I am telling, who can say a perfect election was held in which country over the world.”
The Oikyafront has been demanding cancellation of polls results and holding re-election under a nonpartisan polls-time government.
The AL-led Grand Alliance secured a landslide victory in the December 30 polls last year by winning 288 seats out of 299. The opposition alliance, Jatiya Oikyafront, won in only eight constituencies.
About the Oikyafront’s call for national dialogue, Quader said: “Dialogue is a part of democratic process. We had held talks with the political parties before the national polls but I think there is no necessity of holding a dialogue over the polls right now.”
He also said the UN didn’t call for holding talks over the recently held national polls. They only said all stakeholders of Bangladesh politics should engage in meaningful dialogues, he added.
Meanwhile, The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s political adviser HT Imam had earlier said the premier may sit for talks with the political parties again at her official residence Ganabhaban soon. – Staff Reporter