Bangladesh remains paralysed
Nov 22, 2006 - 3:41:37 AM
, Reviewed by: Priya Saxena
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A non-party neutral caretaker government has organised the general elections in Bangladesh since 1996.
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By Xinhua,
[RxPG] Dhaka, Nov 21 (Xinhua) Bangladesh remained paralysed for the second day Tuesday in the third round of the blockade enforced by one of the country's major political combines to oust the top election official.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) M.A. Aziz made himself controversial during updating the voters' list defying a high court order and allegedly included fke voters in the list.
For this reason, the 14-party combine led by Awami League (AL) of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina is staging the indefinite countrywide blockade and this is the third of the series since Oct 28.
The combine wants the removal of Aziz and at least one of his deputies for holding a free and fair election in next January.
They say if Aziz continues to hold the post, the election will never be clean and for this the combine will not join the election.
Bangladeshi President Iajuddin Ahmed, who has also taken the post of chief advisor of the caretaker government, Monday sent a delegation of his advisors to Aziz with a request asking him to step town or go a long leave.
Aziz told the delegation he would inform the president of his decision within a day or two. Information Advisor Mahbubul Alam, who was in the delegation, told reporters Monday they will get 'good news' within 24 of 48 hours.
It is widely believed that Aziz will not resign but rather go on long leave clearing the way for participation of all political parties in the general election.
The president cannot sack Aziz due to a constitutional bar.
Tuesday's blockade passed off almost peacefully as there was no major street violence except for a few sporadic incidents.
In the capital, the activists and leaders of the combine staged march and held rallies at 23 points.
A private car and a police vehicle were set on blaze in the capital and a student in front of the combine clashed with a rival student from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the immediate past ruling party, in the Dhaka University campus, the hotbed of agitation politics, and southeastern Chittagong, the second largest city.
There was no inter-district traffic movement for which export-import trade of Bangladesh came to a halt causing huge loss to the business section.
In the capital some buses were seen on the streets along with some paddle rickshaws. But educational institutions were closed.
Government offices and banks were working with limited staff. All shopping centres were shut. Both the share markets at Dhaka and Chittagong were also closed.
Police arrested two young men with two bombs from near the presidential palace Tuesday. On Monday night, two bombs exploded near the presidential house, but nobody was injured in the blasts.
A non-party neutral caretaker government has organised the general elections in Bangladesh since 1996.
The Bangladeshi president took over the post of chief adviser of the caretaker government Oct 29 as five-year tenure of the BNP-led four-party alliance government ran out Oct 27.
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