Dhaka - Bangladesh's military-backed government announced
Wednesday that it would hold the country's December elections as per
the previously announced schedules, despite the demands of a leading
political party not having been met.
The announcement came an hour before the expiration of a deadline
set by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by former prime minister
Khaleda Zia, which had demanded that the government delay the poll
and allow her party to join.
The deadline expired at 9 pm (1530 GMT) Wednesday.
'The parliamentary and upazila (local council) elections would be
held according to previously announced schedule as there had been no
consensus between the political alliances ... (and the) government
despite ... all our effort,' a key adviser to the interim government
said.
The Election Commission earlier fixed balloting dates for
parliamentary polls on December 18 and for local councils on December
28.
Zia, also the chief of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), had
demanded the complete lifting of the state of emergency, deferral of
voting dates of both parliamentary and local government polls and
allow voting by Muslim pilgrims who might not be in Bangladesh during
the polls.
The government relaxed provisions of its emergency rule to allow
limited electioneering by the parties and candidates for the general
election.
The BNP-led alliance was yet to make any reaction on the
government decision.
On Tuesday the European Union announced that it will send
observers to monitor Bangladesh's general election, after concluding
that an atmosphere for 'a free, fair and credible election' had been
created in the country.'
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