DHAKA, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh Nationalist
Party (BNP) Chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia who lost Monday's
parliament election said Tuesday midnight that the election results are not
acceptable to her party.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson and
former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia talks to journalists in Dhaka
December 30, 2008. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
In a brief statement to the press after a meeting of
the BNP standing committee, she said, "The blueprint about which we had been
saying earlier, came into reality through the election results."
Khaleda said it is noticeable that there are some
leaders of her party who have been elected time and again in the past with big
margin are on the list of losers.
"It is noticeable that 45 to 50 percent votes were
cast by 12 noon and thereafter most of the polling centers were seen empty. But
it was shown that about 90 percent votes were cast at those centers," she said,
adding it was never ever seen such "grand forgery of votes" in the past.
She claimed that they have evidence too about how
rigging took place. Khaleda said she herself visited many centers in the capital
and found some centers without election officials. On her query, those who were
present told that those officials went for saying prayers or lunch. Then she
told them that there is no break for prayer or lunch during the polling hours.
Khaleda Zia (C), Bangladeshi former prime minister and the chairperson of major political party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), casts her ballot in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, on Dec. 29, 2008. (Xinhua/Qamruzzaman) Photo Gallery>>>
The BNP chief said, "I like to tell with regret that
despite our all efforts to switch over to democracy, the election commission has
proved that this election has no acceptability by announcing the pre-fixed
results of the elections."
"Therefore, this election has not reflected the will
of the people," Khaleda said, adding under this circumstances this farcical
election is not acceptable to BNP.
According to the Election Commission, Bangladesh's
former prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League won 229 seats out of the
295 seats which have got the polls results. BNP got only 27 seats.
The results for another four seats are still not
available.
A total of 1,555 candidates from 39 parties and
independents contested 299 seats out of the 300 seats of Parliament in Monday's
elections. The election for another seat will be held on Jan. 12, next year due
to the death of a candidate.
Bangladeshi former prime minister and
major political party Bangladesh Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina casts
her ballot in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, on Dec. 29, 2008.
(Xinhua/Qamruzzaman) Photo
Gallery>>>
DHAKA, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh's former prime
minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League (AL) has got landslide majority in the
ninth parliamentary election held on Monday, according to the latest primary
results announced by the Election Commission early Tuesday.
The primary results of 229 constituencies updated at
6:25 a.m. local time (0025 GMT) were available. Full story
DHAKA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- The voters turnout rate in
Bangladesh's ninth parliamentary election on Monday was approximately 80 to 90
percent, which is a new record, a senior official said.
Secretary of Bangladesh's Election Commission Humayun
Kabir told Xinhua early on Tuesday that the turnout rate this time is the
highest in history while it was 75 percent in 2001 parliamentary
elections. Full story¡¡
DHAKA, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Tens of millions of Bangladesh
voters on Monday crowded into polling stations across the country and queued to
cast votes in the country's long-awaited ninth parliamentary elections. Full story
