The four-party alliance is in the forefront of election enthusiasts for obvious reasons, the prominent one being its resolve to pass the litmus test before the election engineering mechanism crafted by it falls apart in the face of the momentum of a mass movement that is underway for elaborate electoral reforms -- notwithstanding the blanket support of Dr Iajuddin, who himself is now the target of agitators.

The AL-led 14-party alliance is not far behind, in spite of its plethora of complaints and reservations. It is reported that the Awami League, at the helm of the alliance, had an expensive and expert survey done with regards to its electoral prospects, which, it is said, are encouraging.

This tantalizing prospect may push the country's oldest and largest party to bite the bullet at long last. Moreover, the party is under tremendous internal and external pressure to participate. The bee-line made by the diplomats to Sudha Sadan reinforces its validity. Even the splinter groups of Islamist parties are catching up in the race by aligning themselves with either of the alliances, because the elections buy them local relevance and influence.

As part of the electoral preparations, the European Commission's observers group is already in town. Earlier, several US state department emissaries and the special representative of UN Secretary General visited this country with enigmatic missions.

On the surface, they expressed their desire for a violence-free credible election with the participation of all political parties, as well as continuity of a democratic order in this country -- a concern we are quite well familiar with. We are frequently receiving such sermons, and are ourselves delivering such to others.

But all those who are concerned about a credible election are mum about how that credibility can be ensured when the country is in the clutches of a caretaker government headed by a partisan Dr Iajuddin Ahmed and an Election Commission staffed with BNP-Jamaat elements. To top it all, the presidency, the Election Commission, and the judiciary, in collaboration, are performing the pantomime of a convoluted election engineering.

Well, the outsiders are not expected to understand the intricate dynamics of our local politics. This is not just a Kerry versus Bush bout. This is a fight between embittered rivals -- Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia -- representing two diametrically opposed political philosophies and out-looks, the hiatus between which is simply unbridgeable.

Therefore, it is the people who are the arbiters of choice between the two. But the people must be allowed a level playing ground to make that choice freely and without interference. And that's the crux of the whole issue.

It is a pipe-dream to think that an election of sorts on an uneven turf -- even if held with the participation of all political outfits -- will solve the problems of political unrest and usher in an era of peace and prosperity.

People who think that way are living in a make-believe world of their own. Such an election, let there be no mistake, will portend a period of more turbulence, taking its toll on all sectors of national life and making the society, the polity, and the economy more vulnerable to uncertainty.

The election in a democracy is a festival, and is the only occasion where its universality is demonstrated. There is still time to make it that way, only if Dr Iajuddin Ahmed's conscience is stirred a bit. He has already inflicted a mortal blow to the country's body politics with his bias, megalomania, intransigence, and indecision. He has also made fair polls impossible by tilting the balance in favour of his preferred "party."

He can still bring about a balance in his conduct by compensating the other parties for the loss of time. The constitutional experts say that there are ways the polls can be rescheduled without making the sky fall down. It's time that Dr Iajuddin acted positively.

Brig ( retd) Hafiz is former DG of BIISS.