DHAKA, 13 December 2006 — The Bangladesh interim government swore in four new advisers yesterday after the country’s election chief vowed general elections would go ahead as scheduled next month.
President Iajuddin Ahmed appointed retired Maj. Gen. Ruhul Alam Chowdhury, former university professor Moinuddin Khan, the head of a nongovernment organization Shafiqul Hoque Chowdhury and former commerce secretary Shoeb Ahmed as advisers. They later took oath.
The moves did little to reduce political tension in a nation where at least 44 people have been killed and hundreds injured in clashes between feuding political parties ahead of the Jan. 23 vote.
One of the main contenders for the polls, the Awami League’s Hasina Wajed, hinted she was still considering a boycott.
“I wonder whether we should participate in the election under the changing political circumstances,” she told a news conference.
Acting Chief Election Commissioner Mahfuzur Rahman insisted late on Monday that the polls would go ahead as required by the constitution.
“We are completing all preparations quickly to hit the deadline,” he said, speaking after ex-president and former army general Hossain Mohammad Ershad — who heads the small Jatiya Party — called for the poll to be delayed to allow disputes to be settled.
The country is in the grip of often violent turmoil in the run-up to the vote as feuding political parties squabble over almost every aspect of the election — from the make up of the organizing commission to wildly inaccurate voter rolls.
According to Bangladesh’s constitution, elections must be held within three months of the government handing power to an independent, interim authority which is charged with organizing free and fair elections without partisan government interference.
The authority, which took charge on Oct. 29, is headed by Iajuddin who on Saturday ordered the military to take charge of security in the country following weeks of violence.
That decision led four of his advisers to quit on Monday, prompting fresh doubts that the election will be held.
Yesterday, the New York-based Human Rights Watch group called on the military not to abuse their responsibilities following their deployment.
“Past experience with Bangladeshi leaders deploying the military gives us serious cause for concern,” Brad Adams, Asia director of the group said.
“Given the military’s record of human rights violations, it’s crucial that the army follow strict rules limiting the use of force,” he said.
The two main candidates and chief protagonists in the election are Khaleda Zia, the country’s most immediate past prime minister and her predecessor, Hasina Wajed.
Hasina heads the Awami League and a 14-party alliance that wants sweeping changes to the way the election is run while Khaleda wants the current setup to remain. Analysts called yesterday for clear thinking from all parties.
“Regrettably, the recent developments have taken us toward further uncertainties,” said Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, executive director of the Center for Policy Dialogue, a private sector think tank. “The best solution lies in the neutral, transparent and accountable conduct of the office of the chief of the caretaker government.”
Meanwhile, opposition supporters massed yesterday in Dhaka in response to calls for fresh protests to back up demands for key electoral reforms.
Supporters converged in the heart of the capital under the watchful gaze of riot police armed with batons and tear gas.
“We won’t quit the streets unless our demands for electoral reforms are met. We want a level playing field for free and fair elections,” said Obaidul Kader, spokesman for the opposition led by the Awami League.
Similar protests were called in other cities across Bangladesh, although it was not immediately clear how many supporters they were drawing.
