BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas said on Friday that the people of Bangladesh would reject the proposed Proportional Representation (PR) system in elections, just as they dismissed the use of electronic voting machines.
Speaking at a rally in Dhaka’s Jatrabari area, Abbas argued that the PR initiative would only create confusion among voters.
“Teach people first how to vote. Then speak about the PR system. Don’t confuse the nation with strange experiments like PR,” he told supporters.
The rally, organized by the BNP’s Dhaka South City Unit, marked the first anniversary of the July-August 2024 mass uprising and paid tribute to those who lost their lives.
Abbas said many elderly voters have forgotten how to cast ballots after nearly 17 years without regular practice, while younger citizens have yet to vote in a national election. He called the PR proposal a political ploy.
“Some parties will agree to participate under the PR system, and others will refuse. Then it will be said elections cannot be held and the government should be given more time,” he said. “Stop these tricky and nonsense acts.”
The BNP leader insisted that elections must be conducted in the system familiar to voters.
“This nation didn’t accept EVMs when Sheikh Hasina tried to impose it. They won’t accept your PR system either,” he said.
Abbas also took indirect aim at Jamaat-e-Islami, saying there is “a certain party” that always opposes BNP for its own gain.
He called them out for a history of needing to lean on others instead of standing on their own. Then he pointed directly to the 2008 election, reminding them that their decision to participate got their leaders executed—a fatal mistake he warned them not to make again.
Calling for an election in honor of those killed during the 2024 mass uprising, Abbas pressed the interim government to announce a date.
“Why is the government delaying the announcement of the date for election? What conspiracy is hiding behind this delay—only Allah knows,” he said.
Abbas also criticized the authorities for failing to support families of those killed or injured in the uprising. He said BNP members were prepared to take on that responsibility if the government would not.
“This government is rotten from head to toe,” he said, accusing the administration of moral collapse.
The rally was presided over by Dhaka South BNP Convener Rafiqul Alam Mojnu and conducted by Member Secretary Tanvir Ahmed Robin.
