DHAKA, Nov 17: Bangladesh’s parliamentary election, scheduled for Dec 18, may be put off for a few days to attract a major party that has yet to agree to participate, analysts and officials said on Monday.

Their comments came after the country’s chief negotiator with political parties, Hossain Zillur Rahman, said the government did not want to do anything casually in its efforts to restore democracy, and needs participation of all in the process.

“We don’t want to do anything ‘jeno teno bhabe’ (casually or whimsically) for returning the country to democracy,” Zillur told reporters on the sidelines of an award-giving ceremony.

“Rather we would like a coordinated effort by all (political parties) to accomplish the process and (I think) we are heading towards a good solution,” he added, without elaborating.

Analysts said Zillur’s language suggested Bangladesh’s army-backed interim government could be backing away from insisting on the Dec. 18 election date.

“This is an about turn, but unavoidable as the government is unable to take any firm decision. They tend to give in to pressure and often contradict (themselves),” said professor Atatur Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Political Science Association.

Fakhruddin Ahmed, head of the interim government, told senior police and civil officials on Monday that “preparations for the Dec 18 election are almost complete.”

He also asked them to perform their duties “without fear or favour” to ensure the vote is free, fair and credible.

Only one of the country’s two main parties — the Awami League — has so far agreed to take part in the Dec 18 poll.

The other, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), threatens to stay away if the government does not end emergency rule and allow leaders convicted or arrested for alleged corruption to contest in the election.

The Awami League and BNP are led by former prime ministers Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia, respectively. Both were arrested in an anti-corruption drive launched by the interim authority, which took over in January 2007 following widespread political violence, and cancelled polls planned for that month.

Over the past few days Zillur, who is also an adviser (minister) in the interim authority, repeatedly said the election would be held no later than Dec 18 as the government had pledged to finish its tenure by end of this year.

Election Commissioner Sakhawat Hossain said on Sunday there was no way to delay the vote, because that would violate what the commission had committed to in a court of law.

The Awami League says the election must be held on the announced date to save the country from unprecedented political chaos and uncertainty.

But Zillur’s remarks on Monday looked like a reversal — adding weight to speculation the authorities seek a deal with the BNP to bring it into the election, even at the cost of a delay, to make the vote peaceful and credible, analysts said.

Western diplomats have said they want election participation by all major parties to make its outcome acceptable and the ensuing democracy sustainable.

The BNP’s senior leader M.K. Anwar told reporters on Monday he believed the High Court would postpone the vote if the authorities requested a delay for the sake of a successful and credible election in which the BNP took part.

Some officials, who asked not to be identified, said the government could postpone the election for a week or so to give the BNP a little more time to draw up its candidates. But it must complete the vote by end December to avoid legal challenges.—Reuters