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| Bangladesh |
| Polls end; opposition calls 48-hour hartal |
| 2014-01-06 |
| [Dhaka Tribune] Before the end of its 48-hour nationwide blockade programme, opposition BNP-led 18-party alliance has called another 48-hour countrywide shutdown demanding cancelation of the "farcical polls." Earlier, the opposition enforced a 48-hour hartal ... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ... demanding cancelation of the 10th general elections and urging the people of the country to resist the polls. "We are urging people to observe a 48-hour countrywide hartal from 6am Monday to 6am Wednesday, demanding the cancelation of this farcical polls and protesting the killing of opposition leaders and activists on the polls day. The indefinite blockade programme will continue at the same time," BNP chairperson's Adviser Osman Faruk said. Faruk made the announcement at a presser at his residence two hours after voting ended. The BNP leader claimed that people of the country had spontaneously boycotted the "one party polls." He also claimed that 21 opposition leaders and activists were killed in the election related violence on the polls day. 18-party alliance boycotted the 10th general elections demanding elections under a non-partisan government and also urged the people of the country to boycott and resist the polls. Party's acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said Awami League leader Tofail Ahmed's claim that people had exercised their franchise ignoring the opposition's call for boycott, was nothing but a shameless falsehood. "People of the country have witnessed the election circus through the mass media." "The government has no moral right to stay in power anymore as their blueprint election was foiled. Now people only want a free, neutral and acceptable election under a non-partisan government," he said in a statement. Earlier with the voting underway, Fakhrul had claimed in a statement that the "empty" polling centres were proof that people had rejected the 10th parliamentary polls. "People have said no to the elections. They have rejected this controversial polls with disgust," he said. The BNP leader thanked supporters for participation in the hartal and called upon them to continue with the blockade programme in a peaceful manner. Fakhrul criticised the role of law enforcers in "backing up the government for staging a farcical elections." "The government that will follow this farcical elections will be completely illegal," he said. |
| Posted by:Fred |