Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, during a press conference held at her official residence Ganabhaban, announced that the upcoming general election in the country would follow the Westminster system practiced in Britain.
Emphasizing the flexibility of their democratic process, she expressed her willingness to include opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) in the election-time government. This invitation specifically referred to MPs from the parliamentary opposition, as all seven MPs from the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had resigned from the legislature in December last year as part of their anti-government movement.
However, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina noted that since the BNP MPs were currently not in parliament, there was no need to consider their involvement. She recalled a similar gesture made by her government before the 2014 national election, where the BNP leader, Khaleda Zia, was invited to provide representation for her party in the election-time government. However, Begum Khaleda Zia did not accept the offer.
The Prime Minister’s remarks were made in response to a question regarding the election-time government during a press conference that focused on the outcomes of her recent visits to Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom, which took place from 25 April to 8 May.
It remains to be seen how this proposal for the inclusion of opposition MPs in the election-time government will be received by various political parties and stakeholders.
