The roundtable on Ninth National Election 2007- Present Political Climate was organised by Bangladesh Sammilita Peshajibi Parishad at the National Press Club in the city.

The professionals said the Awami League-led 14-party coalition is now hatching conspiracies so that the Election Commission and the caretaker government cannot conduct the coming general election in January.

They called upon the president to make arrangements for announcing the election schedule and take stern action against those who are demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) MA Aziz and other election commissioners.

"We appreciate the activities of the president. He is performing his duties under heavy pressure. We thank him as he did not compromise with the demands of Awami League," said Sadek Khan, chairman of the Press Institute of Bangladesh.

Prof Dr MA Majed, former adviser to caretaker government, said it is the first and foremost duty of the chief adviser and other advisers to hold election in time for safeguarding the democracy.

Senior lawyer TH Khan urged the caretaker government to arrest misinterpreters of the constitution to protect democracy.

He alleged that pro-Awami League lawyers have been misinterpreting the constitution under the banner of Supreme Court Bar Association and forming human chains and chanting slogans on the Supreme Court premises for long.

"It is completely illogical to demand the removal of Chief Election Commissioner MA Aziz as the CEC is a constitutional post," said journalist Mahfuz Ullah while moderating the roundtable.

He said the demands for CEC's removal and reconstitution of the election commission have no logic and it is not possible to meet the demands by January 25, 2007.

"The four advisers should be ousted from the caretaker government and new advisers will have to be appointed for the greater interest of the democracy," said Selim Bhuiyan, convener of Shikkhak-Karmachari Oikya Parishad.

Terming the 14-party's countrywide blockade 'tantamount to an act of sedition', Film Director Chashi Nazrul Islam said people's right to life and livelihood and their freedom of movement have been violated through this programme.

Professors Kamrul Ahsan Chowdhury and Abdur Rashid of Dhaka University, Businessman Saiful Islam, Parishad leader Advocate Shah Mohammad Khasruzzaman, Agriculturist Javed Iqbal and Prof Aminur Rahman Majumdar also took part in the roundtable.