Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has said it supports the idea of electing the country's president through an extended electoral college, but stressed that local government elections must also be held under a caretaker government.
"We are, in principle, in favour of an extended electoral college for the election of the president. But we have said one thing, that the local government elections must also be held under a caretaker government, just as the parliamentary elections will be held under a caretaker government," said Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, Nayeb-e-Ameer of the party.
He made the remarks this afternoon during a break in the National Consensus Commission's ongoing dialogue with political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.
"If an election is not conducted properly, those elected through it cannot be considered true representatives of the people. Therefore, an extended electoral college is proposed for the presidential election. Local government elections would be held under a caretaker government, and the representatives elected through this process, being genuine representatives of the people, would serve as members of the extended Electoral College," he added.
Taher said that there was a broad consensus among participating parties in favour of this idea.
"We have agreed to this in principle, and more than two-thirds of people are in agreement with this view, though a final conclusion has not been reached," he added.
He furthur said, "Some have suggested extending the Electoral College to the district council, others to the upazila level, and some even to the union level. In this regard, we are flexible. Wherever we can collectively reach consensus, Jamaat-e-Islami will revise its position."
Abdullah Muhammad Taher said that most parties have agreed that the presidential election should be held by secret ballot.
Referring to the party's own election practices, he said, "From the beginning, all of Jamaat-e-Islami's internal elections have been held by secret ballot."
"Therefore, if this long-practiced rule is implemented at any level of the state in Bangladesh for voting, it would be a matter of joy for us," he added.
