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Pressure coming from all sides now …..

Jamaat Ameer: Election before Ramadan would be preferable

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman has expressed his opinion that holding the next national election before the upcoming Ramadan would be preferable.

He conveyed this during a meeting with Nicole N Chulick, deputy assistant secretary of the US Department of State’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, currently visiting Bangladesh.

https://www.dhakatribune.com/amp/bangladesh/politics/378854/election-before-ramadan-would-be-preferable

Pressure from the US as well …… Elections are important!!

Stressing that elections and democracy matter, the United States has said the future of Bangladesh is going to be decided by the Bangladeshi people.

"And elections matter. I don’t want to sound trite here, but it’s true. Democracy matters, and actions by people matter to confront issues," said US Department of State Spokesperson Tammy Bruce.

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/elections-democracy-matter-says-us

BNP’s meeting with Dr Yunus underway; election by Dec on top of agenda

A seven-member BNP delegation led by party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is holding a meeting with Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus to press for a specific roadmap to hold the national election by December this year.

https://unb.com.bd/category/Politics/bnps-meeting-with-dr-yunus-underway-election-by-dec-on-top-of-agenda/157668

At today's meeting, the BNP will clearly state its position that the national election must be held in December.

The leaders will also hint that they may take to the streets to press home its demand.

They will ask the CA to officially inform the Election Commission and publicly announce that polls would be held in December.

https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/news/bnp-meets-ca-today-press-election-roadmap-3872166

The meeting also highlighted the necessity to print and store these materials by September.

To meet these requirements, procurement should begin by May.

The Election Commission (EC) Secretariat is preparing to purchase the necessary materials and carry out the printing work three to four months ahead of the upcoming 13th parliamentary elections.

Officials held a meeting on Tuesday with the Department of Printing and Publications to determine the demand for materials, assess the budget, and review existing stock.

The meeting, held at the Election Commission office in Dhaka’s Agargaon, focused on ensuring that preparations for the polls remain on schedule.

https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/a580c76e7130

Just for interest

China to continue coal-fired power builds up to 2027 for peak demand

https://www.power-technology.com/news/china-coal-fired-power-2027/

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will meet with the Chief Adviser of the interim government, Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, tomorrow (April 16), to discuss key issues, including the electoral roadmap.

Salahuddin Ahmed, a senior member of the BNP standing committee, said that the party would seek a clear and specific roadmap from the government for holding the next parliamentary elections by December.

Salahuddin Ahmed also said that the BNP would emphasize that the Election Commission has enough time to complete preparations by June.

"We discussed this with the Election Commission, and they are confident they can finalize all arrangements by then. The chief adviser has previously assured us that efforts are underway to hold elections by December," he added.

https://www.banglanews24.com/english/politics/news/bd/172481.details

Just for interest, I thought I’d post this article …..

Hasina going to be bought to justice!! She is obviously the reason that Phulbari open pit mining had never been given the green light in the past….

With it now looking hopeful that the BNP will win the up and coming election, the green light should now be given, and will be done so with the Interim’s government blessing, as they are now preparing the groundwork needed….

A Dhaka court has issued arrest warrants against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and 27 others in a case over corruption involving plot allocation in Dhaka’s Purbachal New Town Project.

Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Zakir Hossain Ghalib issued the warrants after reviewing the chargesheet filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Tuesday, bdnews24.com reports.

“The court has also set a date for April 28 for a report on whether the suspects had been arrested,” said Aminul Islam, assistant director of the ACC’s Prosecution Division.

On April 13, the same court had issued warrants for 53 people, including Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, Rehana’s son Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and her daughters -- British MP Tulip Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq Ruponti – in several cases related to the Purbachal project. Before that, on April 10, it had issued warrants against Hasina, her daughter Saima Wazed Putul, and 16 others.

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/plot-graft-arrest-warrants-issued-against-hasina-joy-27-others

Wednesday / Thursday is going to be an interesting time…..

Fakhrul hopes polls uncertainty to be resolved through dialogue

A BNP delegation led by Fakhrul is scheduled to meet chief adviser Proffessor Muhammad Yunus on April 16 to press for a clear and specific road map for the next national election and dispel confusion surrounding the polls and proposed reforms.

When journalists drew his attention to the chief adviser’s shifting of the election timeline between December and June, Fakhrul expressed optimism that this issue, too, would be resolved during their discussions with the head of the interim government on Wednesday.

https://www.newagebd.net/post/Politics/262343/fakhrul-hopes-polls-uncertainty-to-be-resolved-through-dialogue

NBR chairman sees Trump tariffs taking toll on Bangladesh’s revenue collection

As Bangladesh faces mounting pressure to meet revenue targets under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan agreement, the government’s pledge to reduce tariffs on American products may further strain its fiscal efforts, according to Md Abdur Rahman Khan, chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR).

Under the IMF’s $4.7 billion loan package, the NBR is tasked with raising an additional Tk 570 billion in the next fiscal year through new policy measures.

During a recent meeting with the IMF delegation, the agency reported it could only guarantee a collection of Tk 80 billion.

https://bdnews24.com/economy/d4b105745774

Apologies, this article is from last Tuesday ….

Interesting though that it’s still talking about and working to a December election….

‘New electoral code of conduct to ensure level playing field for all’

The draft of the National Parliamentary Code of Conduct is almost finalised to ensure equal campaigning opportunities for all, stated Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarkar, who chairs the relevant committee.

He noted that the code is nearing finalisation even before discussions with political parties, but consultations with all stakeholders are scheduled to take place afterwards.

The commissioner briefed the media on Monday, following a committee meeting at the Election Commission building regarding changes to the code of conduct and other matters.

"The draft is nearly finalised. The process of presenting it to the EC will now begin. Once the EC approves it, it will be officially published," he stated.

He added that most of the recommendations from the Election System Reform Commission have been included in the proposed code of conduct.

“He also mentioned that preparations are underway for the elections in December.”

https://www.daily-sun.com/printversion/details/799418

Support for youth quota in JS almost nil

https://www.newagebd.net/post/politics/262303/support-for-youth-quota-in-js-almost-nil#google_vignette

When the BNP meet Yunus this week, he is going to be put under a lot of pressure to announce a specific election date, when ever that may be!!

BNP's Salahuddin questions CA Yunus' motive behind 'vague election timelines'

BNP senior leader Salahuddin Ahmed today (13 April) questioned whose agenda Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus is serving by repeatedly citing "vague election timeframes" —such as December or June—instead of providing a specific and concrete roadmap.

https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/politics/bnps-salahuddin-questions-ca-yunus-motive-behind-vague-election-timelines?amp

Digit, who knows mate 😂😂 but that’s over a dozen papers I’ve read now that say CA is looking to hold a December election….

One thing is for sure, I’m sure that we will find out this coming week, just because of all the high level meetings that are being held ….

Let’s see what comes out in tomorrow’s press …

CA urges swift progress on reforms ahead of December polls

https://www.observerbd.com/news/520722

Meetings ahead this week…

BNP - Wednesday meeting Yunus

BNP - Thursday meeting consensus committee

Army chief just back from Russia (I believe) and meeting Yunus early this coming week ….

Certainly getting interesting…

Expedite reforms to hold JS polls by Dec: CA

Chief Adviser Prof Mohammed Yunus has urged the National Consensus Commission to expedite the reform agenda with an aim to hold the next general election by December this year.

https://www.daily-sun.com/post/800127

The header says it all…. lol

Chief adviser calls for advancing reform activities quickly

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, also the Chairman of the National Consensus Commission, has called for advancing reform activities quickly with the goal of holding the national elections in December next.

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/chief-adviser-calls-for-advancing-reform-activities-quickly

All the more reason and gives an even bigger argument to get Phulbari open out mining underway!!

Coal shortage forces Matarbari power plant to cut production

The 1,200-megawatt Ultra Super Critical coal-fired Matarbari Power Plant has been forced to reduce electricity generation following a disruption in coal supply caused by the rejection of a contaminated coal shipment.

https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/energy/coal-shortage-forces-matarbari-power-plant-cut-production-1114246?amp