Jatiya Party Chairman Ghulam Muhammad Quader has said that it is unreasonable to expect anyone to willingly lose an election under their own rule.

Speaking at a media briefing held at the Jatiya Party chairman's office in Banani on Monday, Quader emphasised on  the need to separate the electoral process from the control of the government to ensure fair elections.

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According to the JP chairman, the existing power structure places 100 percent of the power in the hands of the Prime Minister, making it difficult to expect unbiased election outcomes.

He said changing the Cabinet and Parliament alone would not address this issue.

Referring to past instances of cross-partisan movements of 1990, 1996 and 2006 against the manipulation of the electoral system, Quader highlighted the importance of a caretaker government system, which was demanded by various political parties recently.

Quader said: "It doesn't make sense that elections have to be held according to the Constitution. In 1991 and 2008, elections were not held as per the constitution. Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia did not always follow the constitution. The caretaker government's system has also been abolished. Therefore, it is now necessary to have a new system, so that no government can influence the electoral system."

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Highlighting the absence of democracy in Bangladesh, Quader said: "If we define democracy as Government of the People, by the People, for the People, then what we have now is a government of the Awami League plus, by the Awami League plus, for the Awami League plus."

He called for genuine efforts from the government to establish a permanent and fair election arrangement through sincere discussions with all stakeholders.

While acknowledging that their proposed solution might not be entirely acceptable, Quader expressed the willingness of the Jatiya Party to engage in formulating a new system that ensures fair elections. He emphasised on the importance of the government's sincere participation in these discussions.

The media briefing was attended by Jatiya Party Chairman's Press Secretary Khandaker Delwar Jalali, among others.

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