DHAKA, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Former Bangladeshi President Hussain Muhammad Ershad, considered a key ally of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League-led grand alliance government, on Sunday launched a new political coalition "United National Alliance (UNA)" ahead of the country's next general elections slated for early 2019.
Former military strongman Ershad, who ruled the country for nearly nine years from 1982 to 1990, launched the 58-party coalition at a press briefing in Dhaka on Sunday.
The former military ruler, now the special envoy to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, reiterated that his Jatiya Party has already walked out of the ruling Awami League-led Grand Alliance and said they are now playing the role as opposition party in the parliament.
There are now two leading political parties in Bangladesh - Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) - besides some small political parties.
The Awami League leading coalition has been the ruling party since 2009.
Hasina's Awami League-led 14-party alliance returned to power in 2014 for its second consecutive term following an election boycotted by ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's BNP-led 21-party alliance.
