BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed today said that those advocating for a proportional representation (PR) system or prioritising local government polls first may be trying to delay or block the upcoming national election.

“Those talking about a proportional system and local elections before the national polls have motives. Either they want to delay the election or stop it altogether,” he told reporters at an event at the International Mother Language Institute in the capital.

Salahuddin said the people of Bangladesh want the national election to be held in early February next year.

“We did not struggle for local government elections. We have fought for 17 years for a free, fair, and neutral national election. Many have sacrificed their lives for the right to vote,” he said.

He also said that the student-led mass uprising showed people’s desire for true democracy. “We can build that democratic state if a political government is formed through a fair election,” he said.