Archive for January 1st, 2009
Thursday, January 1st, 2009Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government's first tasks would be to bring down the prices of essentials within people's reach and alleviate poverty. And in this mission, she sought cooperation of her political archrival Khaleda Zia."Poverty is our lone enemy and we will have to eradicate it, reduce price hike and improve people's living standard," Hasina said at her first news conference after winning a landslide victory in the ninth parliamentary election on December 29.A smiling and confident Hasina sought cooperation of all, including the opposition and other political parties, in establishing a new political culture ...
(read more) Thursday, January 1st, 2009A calculation of the votes cast in Monday's election showed that Awami League (AL) bagged about 25 percent more votes in this election than it had in 2001.It secured 40.13 percent of popular votes in 2001, which got jacked up to 49.02 percent this time around.On the other hand, the number of popular votes cast for BNP in the just concluded 9th parliamentary election got reduced by 20 percent compared to its gain in 2001 election.In 2001 it had got 40.97 percent of the votes cast which got reduced to 32.74 percent on December 29, 2008.These numbers ...
(read more) Thursday, January 1st, 2009Corruption, alleged links to militancy and campaigns about the role in genocide of 1971 led to voters' humiliating rejection of Jamaat's religion-based politics in the parliamentary polls, say political analysts and civil society leaders."The voters have rejected misuse of religion in politics through their ballots," political analyst Prof Imtiaz Ahmed told The Daily Star. The people didn't like distortion of religion for political gains, he added.Human rights activist and former adviser to caretaker government Sultana Kamal said, "This result is the reflection of peoples' secular mind. They have proved again through ballots that they don't like communalism, chauvinism and fascism."Veteran ...
(read more) Thursday, January 1st, 2009Foreign election observers yesterday said they did not find any instance of 'election manipulation' in the December 29 parliamentary polls as alleged by the BNP.The observers at separate press conferences in the capital said the election was free, fair and transparent and held in a peaceful atmosphere with high turnout.They also urged all political parties including BNP to accept the election results for the sake of strengthening democracy in Bangladesh.The winners should be generous and help the opposition parties play a constructive role in the parliament, they said, adding that the polls marked an important step towards re-establishing ...
(read more) Thursday, January 1st, 2009As many as 900 candidates, out of 1,555, have lost their security deposits for poor performance despite a record turnout in the ninth parliamentary elections.No candidate of 30 political parties, registered with the Election Commission (EC), could make it to the next parliament, which means that only eight political parties will have representatives in the parliament.Apart from candidates of minor political parties, most of the 148 independent candidates and a number of nominees of BNP, AL, Jatiya Party and Jamaat-e-Islami lost their security deposits.As per the electoral laws, a candidate must secure minimum one-eighth of the total ...
(read more) Thursday, January 1st, 2009BNP has asked its grassroots leaders to send evidence of 'vote rigging' in Monday's general election to the party chairperson's office on the basis of which it will fix its next course of action, party sources said yesterday.In the wake of the party's debacle in the poll, party chief Khaleda Zia early yesterday said the election was stage-managed and farcical, and so its results were not acceptable."We are yet to decide on taking a hard line on issues like oath taking of members and participation in parliament session," BNP standing committee member RA Ghani told The Daily Star last night.“We ...
(read more) Thursday, January 1st, 2009A magistrate court here yesterday sentenced seven and a half years' imprisonment to former BNP lawmaker Manjurul Ahsan Munshi for violating code of electoral conduct during the polling on December 29.Judicial magistrate Md Zahir Uddin also fined Munshi Tk 35,000, in default of which he will have to serve another one and a half years more in jail.Following the allegation brought against him by Devidwar thana office-in-charge (OC) Zahedul Islam, the electoral court pronounced the verdict after recording depositions of nine witnesses.Munshi was arrested from Mohammadpur centre on December 29, the election day,for trespassing into different polling centres ...
(read more) Thursday, January 1st, 2009Awami League President Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the legality of the present caretaker government will be finally decided in the ninth parliament.After making a courtesy call on Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed at his office, Hasina made the remark responding to a reporter's question regarding her stance over the legality of the caretaker government installed through 1/11 changeover.She however said any government should continue the works of the previous one.Hasina said she had already discussed the matter with some constitution experts and a committee comprising legal and constitution experts is being formed to this end.During one and a ...
(read more) Thursday, January 1st, 2009A large Indian Civet was yesterday caught at Ramna Park in the city by morning walkers who captured the rare animal after chasing it into the lake in the park.The globally vulnerable and locally endangered animal was then shackled and the different officials informed of the matter.The animal meanwhile injured itself while trying to free itself from the shackle. When a team from The Daily Star team reached the place, the animal with its magnificent black and gray coat was lying down and appeared too weak to move.Prof Anwarul Islam of Zoology Department of DU who is also a ...
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