HT Digital,
Dhaka, Nov 15: Bangladesh is set to conduct its general elections on January 7, as announced by the country’s Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal during a live telecast.
The announcement comes amidst increasing political tension with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies, such as Jamaat-e-Islami, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government for a non-party interim government to oversee the elections.
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However, the ruling Awami League, under Premier Hasina, has dismissed these demands, even rejecting dialogue proposals from the US and other Western countries, labelling the BNP as a terrorist organisation. Since October 28, the opposition parties have enforced transport blockades and engaged in clashes with police and rival activists.
The escalating political violence over the past three weeks has resulted in the death of five people, including a policeman. Media reports suggest that approximately 8,000 opposition leaders and activists, including BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, have been arrested in a nationwide crackdown.
