DHAKA: Ban on indoor politics in Bangladesh goes soon to facilitate the political parties to bring about reforms within the parties, competent sources in the Bangladesh Election Commission (BEC) hope. According to sources, due to indirect pressure from donor countries and agencies and local (Bangladeshi) parties, BEC actively considers to allow indoor political activities. In response to such pressure BEC actively considers to lift ban on indoor politics sometime in September next.

The political parties earlier demanded that to hold open discussion ban on indoor is needed to be withdrawn soon, so that they can talk about the reform in their party forum. Without exchanging views, reform in party is not possible. BEC is determined to hold election in time within 2008 according to the roadmap that it declared earlier. But sources, however, have not ruled out the possibility of deferring election due to the ongoing flood in Bangladesh, sources informed.

BEC will remove all the hindrances and anomalies to hold a free and fair election. For this reason pressure mounts on the political parties to democratize and reform them. No corrupt leaders will be allowed to run the election, sources confirmed. The incumbent caretaker government also works to create congenial atmosphere to assist the BEC to hold election according to the road that BEC declared. But BEC suffers from dilemma on process of holding the election whether it should hold the local or national elections first.

Government favours that the elections of the local governments be held first before the parliamentary election, so that influence of party politics is curtailed and new leadership is installed in grassroots level. But considering the pressure of parties and donor agencies and countries, government also thinks to hold the parliamentary election first.

Policymakers of the government actively consider whether Turkish system of election is applicable and feasible in Bangladesh, i.e., seats of the participating parties will be determined and allocated on the basis of the votes that each individual party will get in election. This type of election will remove the use of muscle power in the election. But this will not be easy process to implement. Sources said introduction of holding Turkish system of election will become be clearer further once ban on indoor politics is removed in September next.