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Central & South Asia
Bangladesh stands firm on poll date
Election officials ignore the call for a poll boycott by the opposition alliance.
Last Modified: 04 Jan 2007 07:14 GMT
Sheikh Hasina, centre, says the election commission is favouring her political rival [AFP]

General elections in Bangladesh will go ahead this month, even though a key political alliance has announced a boycott of the poll that will undermine the credibility of the vote.

 

The country's election commission on Thursday said that elections would be held on January 22 as announced earlier.

Mahfuzur Rahman, acting chief election commissioner, said: "The elections will be held on schedule. We are going ahead with preparations for the polls."
 
The Awami League-led opposition alliance had on Wednesday said it would boycott the vote.

Led by Sheikh Hasina, a former prime minister, the new 19-party opposition alliance wants the ballot to be delayed until electoral reforms, including the revision of a voter list, are carried out.

The alliance also wants Iajuddin Ahmed, the president and head of the current interim administration, to step down.

The opposition says the election commission and the president are favouring the rival alliance led by Begum Khaleda Zia.

Zia was the prime minister till October when she handed over power to the interim administration in view of the impending polls.

The president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry meanwhile said the boycott would render the elections meaningless, cause more turmoil and hurt the economy.

 

"Politics will now be more unstable. Our economy will be its worst victim," said Mir Nasir Hossain. "Elections without participation of all political parties will not be meaningful."

Source:
Agencies
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