Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Sunday ruled out the possibility of contesting the next national election, scheduled for February next year.
“There is no reason for me to take part in the election,” he said, adding that, as far as they know, only Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Adviser Asif Mahmud has expressed interest in running.
Hossain said no other member of the Council of Advisers has talked about contesting the upcoming election. “I don't even know whether anyone else wants to take part in the election. I am not interested,” he added.
He made the remarks in response to a question during a ‘DCAB Talk’ at the Jatiya Press Club.
Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) hosted the ‘DCAB Talk’ titled ‘Bangladesh’s Foreign Policy: Charting a Relevant Role in a Changing World’. DCAB President AKM Moinuddin and General Md Arifuzzaman Manun also spoke at the event.
Adviser Asif Mahmud on Thursday said he will consult high-level government officials before announcing his decision to resign in order to contest the next election.
He had already announced his intention to contest the election but had not yet disclosed from where he would run.