A dialogue will soon take place with the political parties to overcome the election challenges, says Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal.

He made the remarks after a dialogue with former election commissioners at the Election Commission headquarters in the capital’s Agargaon on Sunday.

“If there is no agreement among the parties, it will be difficult for the commission to hold elections,” he said.

He added that they would seek suggestions and see what can be changed for the betterment of future generations for a fair election.

Awal said the former election commissioners told him that there was not that much scope for changes in the existing system. “If we stay firm and abide by the laws then a lot of improvement is possible.”

The CEC said former chief election commissioner Abdur Rauf spoke about party-based elections instead of candidates. In this system, parties would submit their candidates for 300 seats ahead of the election. The party members would get seats based on the number of votes.

“However, it is not our concern. The parties should deal with it,” he added. Regarding conducting elections on multiple days instead of a single day, he said that the commission did not have such preparation and it might be a hassle for them.

Asked where the problem lies in advising the parties, he said: “I have not yet had a dialogue with the parties. Everyone says elections must be participatory.”

The election would not be real in a sense if it is not inclusive, the CEC added,

Regarding Comilla-6 MP AKM Bahauddin not leaving his constituency, Awal said: “We have our limitations. We did ask him to leave but he declined.”

“We have sent a letter requesting him. If he doesn’t honour it, we can do nothing,” the CEC added.