UK keen to see general election in December

UK''s Junior Minister (Parliamentary Undersecretary) for Transport Jim Fitzpatrick said here Thursday that the British government is keen to see the general election in Bangladesh take place in December as everybody is ambitious about the polls getting through, reports UNB."Notwithstanding, maybe, some constitutional and protocol difficulties, we will do what we can to help make sure the elections do take place," he told reporters responding to a query about election under the state of emergency after his meeting with Foreign Affairs Advisor Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury.Asked if the UK has any reservation against the state of emergency, the British Minister said very clearly there is much that can be resolved before December as "we want very clearly that the elections do take place".Fitzpatrick said the UK government supports the caretaker administration and the preparation for holding the elections in December. "We, UK government and EU, want to see that it happens and good outcome of the elections," he added.The visiting British Minister also expressed his satisfaction at the recently held election to city corporations and municipalities, saying that the caretaker administration is very ambitious to see the general election go ahead in December.The Foreign Advisor earlier received in his office Fitzpatrick and his wife Dr Sheila Fitzpatrick. Iftekhar told the reporters that Fitzpatrick praised the electoral preparedness of the caretaker government and said that the electoral roll of 80 million with photographs was a "phenomenal achievement" that has been greatly admired in the United Kingdom.During the conversations, Fitzpatrick also briefed Iftekhar about the political situation in the UK in general and within the Labour Party, to which he belongs, in particular.