BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that the countrymen will not accept the proportional representation (PR) voting system, arguing that any system imposed on them by force has never been accepted in the country’s history.

“The people of this country do not accept anything imposed on them. The PR system will not be accepted either,” Fakhrul said on Sunday at a memorial meeting held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) auditorium.

The event was organized by Jatiyatabadi Somomona Jote to mark the second death anniversary of Democratic League General Secretary Saifuddin Monir.

Addressing criticism that the BNP is opposed to reforms, Fakhrul said, “There is propaganda claiming that BNP does not want reforms. That is not true. BNP supports reforms. Do not pay attention to false campaigns.”

The BNP leader alleged that some political parties are using the PR voting issue as a tool to delay the electoral process and prevent the return of power to the people.

“People do not understand this complex system. A few parties are agitating for PR only to delay elections and hinder the process of restoring people’s power,” he concluded.