DHAKA, 10 September 2007 — Bangladesh is lifting a ban on indoor political activity from today to enable parties prepare for general elections late next year, sources said yesterday.
The ban has been lifted ahead of crucial talks between the country’s Election Commission and parties on voting reforms.
“The talks with the political parties will begin on Sept. 12 and continue until November,” said chief of the interim government, Fakhruddin Ahmed.
“In this context, I am announcing that the government will lift the ban on indoor politics from tomorrow (Monday) to create a smooth environment for the talks,” he said.
The decision was hailed by major political parties including the Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party of detained former prime ministers Hasina Wajed and her archrival Khaleda Zia respectively.
“By lifting the ban the government has accepted a national demand,” Zillur Rahman, acting president of Awami League said.
“It’s a people’s victory, it is proved that people’s aspirations cannot be suppressed for long,” Hannan Shah, a BNP leader said. The Election Commission said earlier it would hold the crucial electoral reform talks and insisted that the ban on indoor politics should go to allow the parties to join the talks.
The interim government chief said electoral reforms would only be introduced after talks with the parties, and vowed to try to hold elections before a December 2008 deadline.
The government came to power on Jan. 11 after months of deadly protests by opposition parties over the electoral system led the president to cancel planned national polls and impose a state of emergency.
All kinds of political activities, protests and rallies have been banned and the freedom of speech curtailed as part of the emergency rule.
The latest move comes with the leaders of the two main parties, both former prime ministers who ruled the country for 16 years until October last year, both under arrest in corruption cases.
The army-backed government says it plans to end the country’s notorious corruption before new elections are held, and has launched a massive anti-graft crackdown, arresting nearly 160 high-profile political leaders.
Fast-tracks court set up by the emergency government to try corrupt leaders have so far sentenced more than a dozen former ministers, lawmakers and their families between five and 32 years in jail.
Ahmed said billions of dollars had been looted in the past by a “section of” corrupt leaders. He said the government had strengthened the anti-corruption commission, and had so far recovered 8.20 billion taka ($120 million).
The latest announcement came after the country’s leading entrepreneurs last week complained that the anti-graft fight has led to a climate of fear in the country, resulting in a dip in business confidence.
Meanwhile, the government yesterday formally charged 36 people, including four professors, for inciting and fuelling unrest last month at the country’s main university, police said.
The student unrest, which included violent clashes with police, began at Dhaka University and quickly spread to other campuses across the country.
It was quelled only after the military-backed government imposed a curfew.
“They are formally charged with breaking the emergency-time ban on protests. The teachers have been accused of inciting the unrest, while the students actively took part in it,” said police Inspector Shahidul Islam.
