BNP leader AZM Zahid Hossain dismissed calls for introducing Proportional Representation (PR) elections through street movements. “The constitution only provides for direct voting and direct election of representatives. If PR is to be adopted, it must be approved in Parliament after the people accept it in the next election,” Zahid said. He warned that efforts to push PR through agitation while simultaneously negotiating at the table may undermine democracy and open the door to authoritarianism. Zahid further stated that the people are eagerly waiting to vote after being denied the right for 17 years, and elections are expected by mid-February.