Latest news with #politicaltalks
RNZ News
03-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Macron, top leaders open New Caledonia's summit in Paris
France's President Emmanuel Macron, left, France's Minister of Overseas Manuel Valls, France's Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, President of the French National Assembly Yael Braun-Pivet, Secretary General of the French Presidency Emmanuel Moulin, first vice-president of the customary senate of New Caledonia Ludovic Boula, representative of the second vice-president of the customary senate Victor Gogny, and President of the customary senate Aguetil Mahe Gowe attend a custom ceremony as the inauguration of a summit on New Caledonia at the Elysee Palace in Paris on 2 July 2025. Photo: AFP / Ludovic Marin French President Emmanuel Macron and France's top leaders have on Wednesday welcomed a strong delegation from New Caledonia to officially open a set of several summits dedicated to the French Pacific territory. A delegation from political leaders as well as representatives from New Caledonia's economic and civil society have converged to Paris over the past few days, responding to Macron's invitation for what he termed a "summit". The summit will be made up of several formats: the political one will be held at a luxury hotel in the city of Bougival (West of Paris), behind closed doors with no limitation in time until an agreement on New Caledonia's political future status is found and agreed upon by both pro-independence and pro-France parties. Political talks, sometimes dubbed the "last chance" meeting, were already underway in Bougival on Wednesday evening (Paris time), as soon as the official reception ended. The reception involved most of France's top leaders, including the French Prime Minister François Bayrou, State Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls, both Presidents of the French National Assembly (Yaël Braun-Pivet) and the Senate (Gérard Larcher). During a traditional "custom" ceremony of exchange of gifts between the Paris group and the delegation from New Caledonia, Macron's chief of staff Patrice Faure (who is a former French High Commissioner in New Caledonia), in line with Kanak protocol, spoke on behalf of the French President and presented a pen, "a pen, that could be used, we hope, to sign at least a compromise, if not an agreement, in the days or weeks to come". "Here, just as in New Caledonia, there are people who suffer to see you going through all these sufferings", Faure told the visiting leaders, stressing the "indefectible links that unite us". He also recalled the social, economic consequence of the May 2024 riots that have left 14 dead and over two billion Euros in material damages. Macron's invitation was aiming at initiating "a dialogue that could guarantee a sustainable political, social and cultural equilibrium, adapted to New Caledonia's reality", "beyond antagonistic logic" and to "build a shared, balanced and lasting future". The political talks are initially scheduled to last until this weekend, but are open-ended and could be extended if deemed necessary. The Paris talks follow a series of roundtables during most of the first quarter of 2025, in Paris and in Nouméa, under the auspices of French Overseas Minister Manuel Valls. Valls managed to bring back all political parties around the same table, something that had not happened since 2022. But the last series of meetings, dubbed a political "conclave" stalled early May 2025 after two of the largest pro-France parties, Rassemblement-LR and Les Loyalistes, refused to endorse Valls's project, which was proposing a transfer of French key powers, a dual French-Caledonian citizenship, in what pro-France parties perceived as a form of independence. Anti-independence parties maintain that following three referendums held between 2018 and 2021, the suggestion of an independent New Caledonia has been rejected three times and that, therefore, this democratic expression should be respected. The last referendum in December 2021 was largely boycotted by the pro-independence movement. Since the latest talks stalled, early May 2025, pro-France parties have been critical of the latest Valls proposal and have been lobbying with their mainland France (mostly right-wing) associates. They also are adamant that offering a form of independence-association to the pro-independence side would be a way of surrendering to the 2024 insurrectional violence that marked the riots. Last week, Bruno Retailleau, French Minister for Home Affairs and newly-elected President of the right-wing Les Républicains (LR) party (one of the prominent parties represented at the Lower House -National Assembly-) appointed New Caledonia's President Alcide Ponga one of his "special advisors". The LR party also threatened several times that if a political agreement on New Caledonia was written and approved outside France, Retailleau and his party would withdraw its support to Macron. "Bruno Retailleau, who is the Minister for Home Affairs, was very clear on this. If tomorrow, the government as a whole was to support an independence line on New Caledonia, it is absolutely obvious that we would leave the government without delay", LR Vice-President François-Xavier Bellamy (who recently visited New Caledonia) told local media. Macron's new approach is however triggering mixed reactions and sometimes reservations from New Caledonia's political parties, who mostly remain in the dark as to the French President's proposal details. The pro-France side believes that a "new approach" from Macron appears to address the issues they are defending, but they are still seeking clarifications from Paris. Outspoken pro-France leader and French National "What does France want for New Caledonia?", National Assembly MP Nicolas Metzdorf has been asking several times, including during question time in Parliament. He told French media earlier this week he was looking for "an agreement, not a compromise". Metzdorf and his associates are supporting another proposal of an "asymmetrical internal federalism" which purports to grant more autonomy (including in terms of tax revenue collection) for each of the three provinces in New Caledonia. This, they said, would provide for each province (Northern, Loyalty Islands and Southern provinces) to develop at their own respective paces, bearing in mind that the Southern province is the richest of all three, with the bulk of New Caledonia's population and the other two are mostly rural and population by the Kanak indigenous community. On the pro-independence side, which consists of the FLNKS (Kanak Socialists National Liberation Front), dominated by prominent Union Calédonienne party, but also the more moderate PALIKA (Kanak Liberation Party) and UPM (Progressist Union in Melanesia), the official stance is that they will take the Valls "sovereignty with France" project as the only basis for talks to resume and that they will not settle for anything less. "It won't take long to find out (if the Macron proposal) lasts", UC and FLNKS delegation leader Emmanuel Tjibaou said earlier this week. Tjibaou said his delegation "does not have the mandate to discuss any other proposal". Other "middle" moderate parties, Wallisian-based Eveil Océanien and pro-France Calédonie Ensemble, also tend to support France's latest proposal, but with nuances as per their own respective draft proposals. During a recent interview on Tuesday with French media BFMTV, Valls maintained he remained optimistic as to the outcome of the Bougival talks. "There's no other choice, we have to find a solution. It's complicated because we have to reconcile two contradictory aspirations: for New Caledonia to remain part of France and an aspiration to a full independence". "But I am still hopeful. Our dialogue is not ruptured", he said. "I believe an agreement is possible, because everyone is aware that the situation is extremely fragile and perilous and that without an agreement, it is impossible to rebuild New Caledonia, economically and socially (...) With the germs of a social explosion". "Links with France will always be there, no matter what", he assured. Separate from the strictly political talks, another "economic and social summit" later this week will bring together New Caledonia's economic, social and civil society stakeholders, as well as mayors, in order to address the consequences of the May 2024 riots. It takes place in another hotel near Paris, focusing on four key themes: public finance, structural reforms, economic diversification, a new society project and the crucial nickel mining sector industry.
ABC News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
French President Macron invites all New Caledonia stakeholders for Paris talks
French President Emmanuel Macron has sent a formal invitation to "all New Caledonia stakeholders" for talks in Paris on the French Pacific territory's political and economic future to be held on 2 July. The confirmation came on Thursday in the form of a letter sent individually to an undisclosed list of recipients and dated 24 June. The talks follow a series of roundtable discussions fostered earlier this year by French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls. But the latest talks, held in New Caledonia under a so-called "conclave" format, stalled on 8 May. This was mainly because several main components of the pro-France (anti-independence) parties said the draft agreement proposed by Valls was tantamount to a form of independence, which they reject. The project implied that New Caledonia's future political status vis-à-vis France could be an associated independence "within France" with a transfer of key powers (justice, defence, law and order, foreign affairs, currency ), a dual New Caledonia-France citizenship and an international standing. Instead, the pro-France Rassemblement-LR and Loyalistes suggested another project of "internal federalism" which would give more powers (including on tax matters) to each of the three provinces, a notion often criticised as a de facto partition of New Caledonia. In May 2024, on the sensitive issue of eligibility at local elections, deadly riots broke out in New Caledonia, resulting in 14 deaths and over €2 billion ($3.5 billion) in material damage. In his letter, Macron writes that although Valls "managed to restore dialogue…this did not allow reaching an agreement on (New Caledonia's) institutional future". "This is why I decided to host, under my presidency, a summit dedicated to New Caledonia and associating the whole of the territory's stakeholders". Macron also wrote that "beyond institutional topics, I wish that our exchanges can also touch on (New Caledonia's) economic and societal issues". Macron made earlier announcements, including on 10 June 2025, on the margins of the recent UNOC Oceans Summit in Nice (France), when he dedicated a significant part of his speech to Pacific leaders attending a "Pacific-France" summit to the situation in New Caledonia. "Our exchanges will last as long as it takes so that the heavy topics…can be dealt with with all the seriousness they deserve". Macron also points out that after New Caledonia's "crisis" broke out on 13 May 2024, "the tension was too high to allow for an appeased dialogue between all the components of New Caledonia's society". A new deal? The main political objective of the talks remains to find a comprehensive agreement between all local political stakeholders, in order to arrive at a new agreement that would define the French Pacific territory's political future and status. This would then allow to replace the 27-year-old "Nouméa Accord", signed in 1998. The 1998 pact puts a heavy focus on the notions of "living together" and "common destiny" for New Caledonia's indigenous Kanaks and all of the other components of its ethnically and culturally diverse society. It was also mentioning a necessary economic "re-balancing" between the Northern Islands provinces and the more affluent Southern province, where the capital Nouméa is located. The Nouméa Accord also contained provisions to hold three referendums on self-determination. The three polls took place in 2018, 2020 and 2021, all of those resulting in a majority of people rejecting independence. ( AP: Mathurin Derel ) The three polls took place in 2018, 2020 and 2021, all of those resulting in a majority of people rejecting independence. But the last referendum, in December 2021, was largely boycotted by the pro-independence movement. According to the Nouméa Accord, after those three referendums were held, political stakeholders were to "examine the situation thus created", Macron recalls. But despite several attempts, including under previous governments, to promote political talks, the situation has remained deadlocked and increasingly polarised between the pro-independence and the pro-France camps. A few days after the May 2024 riots, Macron made a trip to New Caledonia, calling for the situation to be appeased so that talks could resume. In his 10 June speech to Pacific leaders, Macron also mentioned a "new project" and in relation to the past referendums process, pledged "not to make the same mistakes again". He said he believed the referendum, as an instrument, was not necessarily adapted to Melanesian and Kanak cultures. In practice, the Paris "summit" would also involve French minister for Overseas Manuel Valls. The list of invited participants would include all parties, pro-independence and pro-France, represented at New Caledonia's Congress (the local parliament). But it would also include a number of economic stakeholders, a delegation of Mayors of New Caledonia, as well as representatives of the civil society and NGOs. Talks could also come in several formats, with the political side being treated separately. The pro-independence platform FLNKS (Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front) has to decide at the weekend whether it will take part in the Paris talks. Will Christian Téin take part? During a whirlwind visit to New Caledonia in June 2024, Macron met Christian Téin, the leader of a pro-independence CCAT (Field Action Coordination Cell), created by Union Calédonienne (UC). Téin was arrested and jailed in mainland France. In August 2024, while in custody in the prison of Mulhouse -North-east of France), he was elected, in absentia, President of a UC-dominated FLNKS. Even though he remains prosecuted for allegedly being one of the masterminds of the May 2024 riots, Téin was released from jail on 12 June 2025, under the condition that he does not travel to New Caledonia and reports regularly to French judges. On the pro-France side, Téin's release triggered mixed angry reactions. "To liberate Christian Téin just a few days away from the final negotiation on New Caledonia's future is a very bad signal sent by the French justice", he told pro-France Radio Rythme Bleu on 13 June 2025. "I, personally, will not go to the negotiating table with Christian Téin. This is one condition we are posing to the French State", he stressed. Other pro-France hard-line components said the Kanak leader's participation to the Paris talks was simply "unthinkable". Pro-independence Tjibaou said Téin's release was "a sign of appeasement", but that his participation was probably subject to "conditions". "But I'm not the one who makes the invitations", he told public broadcaster NC la 1ère on 15 June 2025. FLNKS spokesman Dominique Fochi said in a release Téin's participation in the talks was earlier declared a prerequisite. "Now our FLNKS President has been released. He's the FLNKS boss and we are awaiting his instructions", Fochi said. At former roundtables earlier this year, the FLNKS delegation was headed by Union Calédonienne (UC, the main and dominating component of the FLNKS) President Emmanuel Tjibaou. 'Concluding the decolonisation process' — Valls In a press conference on Tuesday in Paris, Valls elaborated some more on the upcoming Paris talks. "Obviously there will be a sequence of political negotiations which I will lead with all of New Caledonia's players, that is all groups represented at the Congress. But there will also be an economic and social sequence with economic, social and societal players who will be invited", Valls said. During question time at the French National Assembly in Paris on 3 June 2025, Valls said he remained confident that it was "still possible" to reach an agreement and to "reconcile" the "contradictory aspirations" of the pro-independence and pro-France camps. During the same sitting, pro-France New Caledonia MP Nicolas Metzdorf decried what he termed "France's lack of ambition" and his camp's feeling of being "let down". The other MP for New Caledonia's, pro-independence Emmanuel Tjibaou, also took the floor to call on France to "close the colonial chapter" and that France has to "take its part in the conclusion of the emancipation process" of New Caledonia. "With the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister, and the political forces, we will make offers, while concluding the decolonisation process, the self-determination process, while respecting New Caledonians' words and at the same time not forgetting history, and the past that have led to the disaster of the 1980s and the catastrophe of May 2024." RNZ
RNZ News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Macron invites all New Caledonia stakeholders for Paris talks
Macron, right, with New Caledonia Congress former presidents Louis Mapou, left, and Roch Wamytan, centre, last year. (file image) Photo: supplied French President Emmanuel Macron has sent a formal invitation to "all New Caledonia stakeholders" for talks in Paris on the French Pacific territory's political and economic future to be held on 2 July. The confirmation came on Thursday in the form of a letter sent individually to an undisclosed list of recipients and dated 24 June. The talks follow a series of roundtables fostered earlier this year by French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls. But the latest talks , held in New Caledonia under a so-called "conclave" format, stalled on 8 May. This was mainly because several main components of the pro-France (anti-independence) parties said the draft agreement proposed by Valls was tantamount to a form of independence, which they reject. The project implied that New Caledonia's future political status vis-à-vis France could be an associated independence "within France" with a transfer of key powers (justice, defence, law and order, foreign affairs, currency ), a dual New Caledonia-France citizenship and an international standing. Instead, the pro-France Rassemblement-LR and Loyalistes suggested another project of "internal federalism" which would give more powers (including on tax matters) to each of the three provinces, a notion often criticised as a de facto partition of New Caledonia. In May 2024, on the sensitive issue of eligibility at local elections, deadly riots broke out in New Caledonia, resulting in 14 deaths and over €2 billion in material damage. In his letter, Macron writes that although Valls "managed to restore did not allow reaching an agreement on (New Caledonia's) institutional future". "This is why I decided to host, under my presidency, a summit dedicated to New Caledonia and associating the whole of the territory's stakeholders". Macron also wrote that "beyond institutional topics, I wish that our exchanges can also touch on (New Caledonia's) economic and societal issues". Macron made earlier announcements, including on 10 June 2025, on the margins of the recent UNOC Oceans Summit in Nice (France), when he dedicated a significant part of his speech to Pacific leaders attending a "Pacific-France" summit to the situation in New Caledonia. "Our exchanges will last as long as it takes so that the heavy be dealt with with all the seriousness they deserve". Macron also points out that after New Caledonia's "crisis" broke out on 13 May 2024, "the tension was too high to allow for an appeased dialogue between all the components of New Caledonia's society". Letter sent by French President Emmanuel Macron to New Caledonia's stakeholders for Paris talks on 2 July 2025. Photo: Supplied The main political objective of the talks remains to find a comprehensive agreement between all local political stakeholders, in order to arrive at a new agreement that would define the French Pacific territory's political future and status. This would then allow to replace the 27-year-old "Nouméa Accord", signed in 1998. The 1998 pact puts a heavy focus on the notions of "living together" and "common destiny" for New Caledonia's indigenous Kanaks and all of the other components of its ethnically and culturally diverse society. It was also mentioning a necessary economic "re-balancing" between the Northern, Islands provinces and the more affluent Southern province, where the capital Nouméa is located. The Nouméa Accord also contained provisions to hold three referendums on self-determination. The three polls took place in 2018, 202 and 2021, all of those resulting in a majority of people rejecting independence. But the last referendum, in December 2021, was largely boycotted by the pro-independence movement. According to the Nouméa Accord, after those three referendums were held, political stakeholders were to "examine the situation thus created", Macron recalls. But despite several attempts, including under previous governments, to promote political talks, the situation has remained deadlocked and increasingly polarised between the pro-independence and the pro-France camps. A few days after the May 2024 riots, Macron made a trip to New Caledonia, calling for the situation to be appeased so that talks could resume. In his 10 June speech to Pacific leaders, Macron also mentioned a "new project" and in relation to the past referendums process, pledged "not to make the same mistakes again". He said he believed the referendum, as an instrument, was not necessarily adapted to Melanesian and Kanak cultures. In practice, the Paris "summit" would also involve French minister for Overseas Manuel Valls. The list of invited participants would include all parties, pro-independence and pro-France, represented at New Caledonia's Congress (the local parliament). But it would also include a number of economic stakeholders, as well as a delegation of Mayors of New Caledonia, as well as representatives of the civil society and NGOs. Talks could also come in several formats, with the political side being treated separately. The pro-independence platform FLNKS (Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front) has to decide at the weekend whether it will take part in the Paris talks. During a whirlwind visit to New Caledonia in June 2024, Macron met Christian Téin, the leader of a pro-independence CCAT (Field Action Coordination Cell), created by Union Calédonienne (UC). Téin was arrested and jailed in mainland France. In August 2024, while in custody in the prison of Mulhouse -North-east of France), he was elected, in absentia, President of a UC-dominated FLNKS. Even though he remains prosecuted for allegedly being one of the masterminds of the May 2024 riots, Téin was released from jail on 12 June 2025, under the condition that he does not travel to New Caledonia and reports regularly to French judges. On the pro-France side, Téin's release triggered mixed angry reactions. "To liberate Christian Téin just a few days away from the final negotiation on New Caledonia's future is a very bad signal sent by the French justice", he told pro-France Radio Rythme Bleu on 13 June 2025. "I, personally, will not go to the negotiating table with Christian Téin. This is one condition we are posing to the French State", he stressed. Other pro-France hard-line components said the Kanak leader's participation to the Paris talks was simply "unthinkable". Pro-independence Tjibaou said Téin's release was "a sign of appeasement", but that his participation was probably subject to "conditions". "But I'm not the one who makes the invitations", he told public broadcaster NC la 1ère on 15 June 2025. FLNKS spokesman Dominique Fochi said in a release Téin's participation in the talks was earlier declared a prerequisite. "Now our FLNKS President has been released. He's the FLNKS boss and we are awaiting his instructions", Fochi said. At former roundtables earlier this year, the FLNKS delegation was headed by Union Calédonienne (UC, the main and dominating component of the FLNKS) President Emmanuel Tjibaou. Manuel Valls takes part in the welcoming ceremony. Photo: Delphine Mayeur / Hans Lucas / AFP In a press conference on Tuesday in Paris, Valls elaborated some more on the upcoming Paris talks. "Obviously there will be a sequence of political negotiations which I will lead with all of New Caledonia's players, that is all groups represented at the Congress. But there will also be an economic and social sequence with economic, social and societal players who will be invited", Valls said. During question time at the French National Assembly in Paris on 3 June 2025, Valls said he remained confident that it was "still possible" to reach an agreement and to "reconcile" the "contradictory aspirations" of the pro-independence and pro-France camps. During the same sitting, pro-France New Caledonia MP Nicolas Metzdorf decried what he termed "France's lack of ambition" and his camp's feeling of being "let down". The other MP for New Caledonia's, pro-independence Emmanuel Tjibaou, also took the floor to call on France to "close the colonial chapter" and that France has to "take its part in the conclusion of the emancipation process" of New Caledonia. "With the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister, and the political forces, we will make offers, while concluding the decolonisation process, the self-determination process, while respecting New Caledonians' words and at the same time not forgetting history, and the past that have led to the disaster of the 1980s and the catastrophe of May 2024", he replied.
RNZ News
19-06-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Bougainville and Papua New Guinea struggle to find common ground
Photo: Supplied The Bougainville Attorney-General says the autonomous region and the Papua New Guinea government may sign an agreement on the way ahead in their push for independence. A week of talks at Burnham Camp in New Zealand last week failed to produce a political agreement on implementing implement the outcome of the 2019 Bougainville Referendum. However, further talks, again mediated by former New Zealand Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae, are scheduled to go ahead next week. Former NZ Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae is the independent moderator appointed to mediate a political pathway between Bougainville and Papua New Guinea. 13 June 2025 Photo: Autonomous Bougainville Government Ezekiel Masatt told the Post-Courier that Bougainville "firmly rejected" PNG's renewed proposals for "free association" and "confederation". He added that the talks cannot progress constructively until the PNG government is willing to openly pronounce the word "independence." Bougainville put forward what it called a "Melanesian Solution" with the autonomous region being granted some sovereign powers immediately. Former Papua New Guinea MP, Sir John Kaputin, has called for the leaders of PNG to listen to Bougainville, and for the leaders of Bougainville to be serious about their duties on behalf of their people. Sir John was closely involved in the cease fire in Bougainville in 1998, after being appointed the special State negotiator by Sir Rabbie Namaliu. He has told the Post Courier this week that "It's a two-way thing that leaders of Bougainville must be serious about their leadership among our people and it's up for the National Government to listen to what they are proposing." he said. Former PNG chief secretary Isaac Lupari has called for caution on Bougainville's push for independence. He pointed out that the national constitution does not allow for any part of the country to secede. Lupari is quoted in the Post-Courier saying "the pathway for determining Bougainville's future is enshrined in our National Constitution which makes it clear that the decision-making authority in relation to the Bougainville referendum results rests with the National Parliament."
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bangladesh's Yunus seeks unity with fresh political talks
Bangladesh's interim leader will meet multiple parties on Sunday in marathon talks as he seeks to build unity and calm intense political power struggles, party leaders and officials said. Muhammad Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who leads the caretaker government as its chief adviser until elections are held, has called for rival parties to give him their full support. The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted by a student-led revolt in August 2024, ending her iron-fisted rule of 15 years. The talks come after meetings that stretched late into Saturday evening with major political parties, including those who have protested against the government this month. "Chief adviser professor Muhammad Yunus will meet the leaders of several parties on Sunday," his press secretary Shafiqul Alam told AFP. There are 54 registered political parties in Bangladesh -- not including the now-banned Awami League of fugitive former leader Hasina. Alam did not specify how many parties were invited to this round of talks. - 'Ongoing crisis' - Mamunul Haque, leader of the Islamist Khelafat-e-Majlish party, said he was attending discussions expected to focus on "the ongoing crisis". Zonayed Saki of the liberal Ganosamhati Andolon party said he was also attending. After a week of escalation during which rival parties protested on the streets of the capital Dhaka, the government led by Yunus warned on Saturday that political power struggles risked jeopardising gains that have been made. "Broader unity is essential to maintain national stability, organise free and fair elections, justice, and reform, and permanently prevent the return of authoritarianism in the country," it said in a statement. Microfinance pioneer Yunus, who returned from exile at the behest of protesters in August 2024, says he has a duty to implement democratic reforms before elections he has vowed will take place by June 2026 at the latest. The caretaker government has formed multiple reform commissions providing a long list of recommendations -- and is now seeking the backing of political parties. Yunus last held an all-party meeting -- to discuss efforts to overhaul Bangladesh's democratic system -- on February 15, and some parties cited frustration at the lack of contact. But on Saturday, the government warned that it had faced "unreasonable demands, deliberately provocative and jurisdictionally overreaching statements", which it said had been "continuously obstructing" its work. Sources in his office and a key political ally said on Thursday that Yunus had threatened to quit, but his cabinet said he would not step down early. Yunus on Saturday met with the the key Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), seen as the election front-runners, who are pushing hard for polls to be held by December. According to Bangladeshi media and military sources, army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman also said this week that elections should be held by December, aligning with BNP demands. Yunus also met with leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, the Muslim-majority nation's largest Islamist party, and the National Citizen Party (NCP) made up of many students who spearheaded the uprising that ended Hasina's rule. NCP leader Nahid Islam warned on Saturday that rival parties were pushing for swift elections to skip reforms and "assume power", and that he believed there were "indications" that a "military-backed government could re-emerge". sa/pjm/mtp
