Mohammad Yunus, head of the interim government in Bangladesh.
Dhaka: Mohammad Yunus, head of the interim government in Bangladesh, has recommended giving the right to vote to minors also. If this proposal is accepted then minors in Bangladesh i.e. people below 18 years of age will also be eligible to vote. However, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Saturday criticized the recommendation of interim government chief adviser Mohammad Yunus that the minimum voting age should be reduced to 17 years.
BNP said that this will put pressure on the Election Commission and may delay the election process. Yunus (84), who was appointed head of the interim government after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government in August, had on Friday recommended reducing the minimum voting age to 17 years, The Dhaka Tribune reported. In a video message broadcast in an election dialogue, Yunus had said, “I think that the minimum voting age should be reduced to 17 years so that (the youth) can give opinion about their future.”
BNP opposed Yunus’ decision
BNP General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said during a discussion at the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka that the Chief Adviser’s suggestion of reducing the voting age to 17 years means a new voter list will have to be prepared. He told him, “Now people will fear that even more time will be wasted and there will be further delay (in the election process).” Alamgir said there is a perception among the people that the interim government is deliberately trying to delay the election process. “But I don’t think so,” he said. The BNP leader said the chief advisor should not have raised the issue without consulting the stakeholders.
What is the minimum age for voting at present?
He said, “You are the Chief Executive and you have said that 17 years is the appropriate age. When you say this, it becomes binding on the Election Commission.” Alamgir said that the government should have left this issue to the Election Commission, so that it can take an appropriate decision. He said that at present the minimum age for voting in the country is 18 years. “If you want to reduce it by one year, then let the new Election Commission propose it and discuss with political parties,” the BNP leader said. Yunus, during his ‘Victory Day’ address on 16 December, had hinted that elections could be held as early as 2026. He had said, “Broadly speaking, the elections can be scheduled between the end of 2025 and the first half of 2026. Elections will be conducted by updating the voter list. (Language)
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