DHAKA, 30 September 2006 — The Bangladesh government has formally invited the opposition for talks in a bid to defuse a major row over electoral reforms ahead of looming elections, an opposition spokesman said yesterday.

The invitation came as the opposition threatened non-stop protests and strikes to force the reforms through. It insists the changes are crucial for “free and fair” parliamentary elections in January.

The main opposition Awami League said Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, the secretary-general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), issued the formal invitation.

The BNP heads the country’s four-party, Islamist-allied ruling coalition.

“He (Bhuiyan) made a formal proposal for talks over phone,” said Abdul Jalil, the secretary-general of the Awami League. “The talks will be held soon and we will discuss election reform issues,” Jalil said.

The talks would be conducted by the two secretary-generals, he said. “I will discuss with my party chief modalities of the proposed dialogue and explain details as soon as possible,” Jalil told reporters.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia had earlier this month proposed dialogue with the opposition on electoral reforms, but the Awami League questioned the offer’s sincerity and demanded a formal invitation.

The opposition also wants a say in choosing the head of an interim caretaker authority that will supervise the elections to ensure the polls are free and fair.

A previous round of talks between the government and the opposition over the reforms stalled after the Awami League objected to the presence of Jamaat-e-Islami party.

The ruling party insisted on the participation of the Jamaat which is a key partner in the coalition government.

The Awami League accuses the Jamaat of opposing Bangladesh’s 1971 independence from Pakistan.

The 14-party opposition alliance has threatened to boycott the elections if Khaleda refuses to replace the proposed chief of an interim government and top election commission officials it says are pro-government.

Analysts said the row could provoke a political crisis in Bangladesh.

The government is due to hand power to the interim government, slated to be led by former Supreme Court chief justice K.M. Hasan, in less than a month. The opposition parties say Hasan is ineligible to act neutrally as he was a former BNP official.

Bangladesh has been rocked by a series of opposition strikes and protests in support of reform demands. At least six people have been killed and hundreds injured in the unrest over the past 15 months.

Power Shortage

The government yesterday moved to quell violent protests over power cuts by preventing big businesses from drawing too much electricity off the badly strained national grid.

Power Ministry Secretary A.N.H. Akhter Hossain said billboards and shopping malls would be cut off during peak hours.

The move would save at least 70 megawatts and could provide some relief for ordinary households.

“Within the next six months we shall import barge-mounted power plants and install several small plants to add at least another 400 megawatts of power to the national grid,” the official added.