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Bangladesh poll to go ahead despite boycott threat
By PARVEEN AHMED,Associated Press Writer AP - Thursday, November 20
DHAKA, Bangladesh - Bangladesh will hold national elections as scheduled on Dec. 18 despite threats from a major political party to boycott the polls, an interim government spokesman said Wednesday.
The announcement came hours before the passing of a two-day deadline former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia had issued for the military-backed government to lift the country's state of emergency and reschedule the elections. She had threatened to have her party and its allies boycott the polls if her demands weren't met.
Over the past two days, the government discussed Zia's demands with all the major parties but they failed to reach a consensus and the polls would be held as scheduled, interim government spokesman Hossain Zillur Rahman said at a news conference.
Zia's main rival, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, had insisted that the elections be held on time, while the Election Commission said the polls could be deferred by 10 days if all sides agreed.
A spokesman for Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist party, Khondokar Delwar Hossain, condemned the government's stand but did not say whether his party would follow through on its threat.
"We do want to contest the polls," Hossain said. "And we hope that a solution can still be reached so that all parties can take part in the elections."
Hossain said his party would meet with its allies Thursday to discuss the situation.
At a news conference Monday, Zia urged the government to suspend the state of emergency and change the election schedule so people going to perform the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage in December could return home to vote.
She also demanded the government strip the Election Commission of its power to throw candidates out of the race.
The country's figurehead president canceled elections that were due in late 2006 and declared a state of emergency to quell violent political protests demanding electoral reforms.
The interim government, backed by the influential military, created new election rules and a fresh voter list before announcing the general elections.
The government has already relaxed some emergency rules _ which were imposed in January 2007 _ to allow campaigning.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission extended the deadline for candidates to file nomination papers by three days to Sunday. It had earlier set Thursday as the deadline.
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