Bangladeshi former main opposition Awami League (AL)-led 14-party combine announced Monday to hold countrywide day-long hartal Thursday demanding to defer the election date and asking President Iajuddin Ahmed to step down from the post of caretaker government chief.

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina made the announcement at a rally here Monday alleging President and Chief Advisor (CA) Iajuddin Ahmed has failed to show his neutrality as he named himself for the post of CA violating the Constitution.

Bangladeshi fourth party Jatiya Party Chairman and former president Hussain Muhammad Ershad said at the rally "from today the 'great front' made its journey" and added his party will take in all movements with Awami League.

Iajuddin took the post of CA of the caretaker government as both AL and BNP failed to find out a compromise candidate stipulated by the country's constitution that a non-partisan caretaker government will supervise the country's general elections within 90 days after taking over.

Hasina alleged that Iajuddin has been working with dictates from BNP and under him no election would be held free and fair. So he should go.

She said the polls should be rescheduled after correcting the updated voter list. "The voter list should be corrected first and publication of the final voter list and then the polls should be rescheduled," she added.

BNP said the general elections must be held within 90 days after the caretaker government takes power as per Constitution. So they said the poll date cannot be deferred. But Hasina said Constitution is a man made document and it can be changed in line with the demands of people.

"People will not accept a premature election in the name of following a constitutional provision of holding the polls within 90 days of dissolving the parliament," she said.

Bangladesh's parliament was dissolved on Oct. 27 as the term of the elected BNP government ran out and Iajuddin named himself as the chief adviser on Oct. 29.

Hasina said although the Election Commission's voter list correction date ended Monday, there were widespread allegation that Election Commission deployed men to correct the voter list did not show up in many areas including capital Dhaka.

"The Election Commission should be reconstituted sending two controversial election commissioner on leave and appointing two new election commissioners in line with the package proposals made by the advisory council of the caretaker government," Hasina said.

The Election Commission has set Dec. 21 the last day for submitting nomination papers, but the 14-party combine and other allies did not yet prepare for the elections. But BNP has completed selection of candidates in all the 300-seat parliament election and has been demanding the caretaker government to hold the election within the stipulated time sanction by the Constitution.

Hasina gave two-day time to the Election Commission to reconstitute and to take steps to correct the voter list and asked the Election Commission to make a voters list with photographs.

Source: Xinhua