Archive for December 28th, 2008
Sunday, December 28th, 2008A judicial probe body has asked the Election Commission (EC) to take legal action against BNP candidate Mohammad Shokrana of Bogra-1 constituency for concealing criminal records in the affidavit attached to his nomination papers.The probe body comprising a joint district judge and an assistant district judge also recommended actions against the returning officer (RO) and the superintendent of police (SP) for neglect in duty, sources say.As per the provisions of the Representation of the People Order (RPO), a person will be disqualified for election as or for being a member [of parliament] if they conceal information in affidavits.It means Shokrana ...
(read more) Sunday, December 28th, 2008BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia last night said if voted to power, her party will not seek revenge for her “sufferings during the emergency rule”.She also said they are ready to accept people's verdict in the general election.“Propaganda is on that if we form government, members of the armed forces might be subjected to reprisals for their 'special role' during the state of emergency. I want to say unequivocally that we don't believe in taking revenge.”In a pre-election address to the nation broadcast over Bangladesh Television and Betar, the former prime minister also said she considers the defence personnel to ...
(read more) Sunday, December 28th, 2008Sheikh Hasina last night made a fervent call for all political parties to do away with politics of confrontation and develop a healthy political culture for building a prosperous country."Ahead of the parliamentary election, I call upon all political parties believing in democratic values to put an end to politics of conflict and vengeance in the greater interest of the nation," the Awami League (AL) president said in an address to the nation over Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar.She said, "Let us build a new clean political culture through united efforts of the government and opposition political parties, save ...
(read more) Sunday, December 28th, 2008The grand electoral alliance's last campaign rally led by Awami League President Sheikh Hasina at Laldighi Maidan in the port city of Chittagong yesterday turned into an ocean of people again, spilling over onto the adjacent roads and alleyways.There she reiterated her resolve to transform Bangladesh into a modern, science and technology based developed country free of bribery, corruption and terrorism, if on Monday her alliance is voted to rule the country.“We want to create a good life for you that will be free of the curse of unemployment, we want to ensure education and healthcare for all," said ...
(read more) Sunday, December 28th, 2008Qatar-based television channel Al Jazeera published exclusive interviews of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Friday. Al Jazeera asked the two leaders the same questions.Why should the people of Bangladesh elect you again? Sheikh Hasina: "Last time I was in power I ensured their [Bangladeshis] food safety net. We ensured health, we controlled the law and order situation, we ensured peace. Definitely people will vote for us, they will elect us, we are confident about it."Khaleda Zia: "I have done a lot of work for the people of Bangladesh. I've developed the education system, there was ...
(read more) Sunday, December 28th, 2008Awami League President Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia spent the final hours canvassing frantically to woo voters before the deadline for electioneering expired last midnight.Khaleda wrapped up her election campaign addressing a number of street rallies at various places in the capital.Hasina also addressed a few rallies through videoconference after flying back to the capital from Chittagong.The BNP chief began electioneering from Bhashantek at 6:00pm and talked to people on her way to Mirpur-11, where she addressed her last campaign rally just before midnight.Earlier, Khaleda addressed a grand rally in the capital and Hasina in the ...
(read more) Sunday, December 28th, 2008The Election Commission (EC) has finally decided that judicial magistrates assigned to try electoral offences concerning the parliamentary polls tomorrow would do the job in their offices.Even on the polling day, they will not move around in the constituencies where they are deployed to take into cognizance electoral offences for trial.“There is no plan for mobile courts comprised of judicial magistrates,” the EC Secretariat said yesterday in a circular sent to chief judicial magistrates.Ealier, the establishment ministry had appointed 319 government officials as executive magistrates and vested them with the authority of running mobile courts for trial ...
(read more) Sunday, December 28th, 2008Tension over India's trespassing into Bangladeshi maritime boundary diffused yesterday morning as the three Indian oil and gas survey ships withdrew from Bangladeshi waters.Meanwhile, the Indian high commissioner to Dhaka was summoned to the foreign ministry and handed Dhaka's protest note.Navy sources said immediately after the survey ships left, an Indian coastguard vessel went to the spot and asked the Bangladeshi offshore patrol vessels there to leave the spot claiming it to be Indian waters.The location is seven miles into Bangladeshi maritime boundary, which is also situated within Bangladeshi deep-sea oil and gas exploration Block-14.Both the countries are now ...
(read more) Sunday, December 28th, 2008The Election Commission Secretariat sources said they have already given approval to 96 local non-government voluntary organisations for observation of the election all over the country.However, exact figure of the number of local observers are yet to be ascertained as offices of the returning officers concerned are still issuing identity cards to the observers.Of the total observers, 1.78 lakh will be alone of Election Working Group, a conglomeration of 32 NGOs.Foreign observer teams include Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), European Union (EU), International Republican Institute (IRI), ANFREL-BD, EOJ, International Democratic Institute (NDI), EU Election Observation Mission, Commonwealth, Asia ...
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