UN suspends technical support for Bangladesh poll
Source: Reuters
By Anis Ahmed DHAKA, Jan 11 (Reuters) - The United Nations has suspended all technical support for elections in Bangladesh that have been boycotted by the opposition and are looking increasingly chaotic and possibly untenable. The interim caretaker government stood firm on Thursday in its pledge to hold elections on Jan. 22 despite the boycott by a multi-party alliance headed by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on grounds the ballot would not be free and impartial. At least 45 people have been killed and hundreds injured in pre-election violence and police say they fear far worse to come. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted the situation had deteriorated to the point that the U.S.-based National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and the International Republican Institute were refusing to monitor the elections. "The political crisis in Bangladesh has severely jeopardised the legitimacy of the electoral process," Ban said in a statement released on Thursday in Dhaka. "The announced cancellation of numerous international observation missions is regrettable. The United Nations has had to suspend all technical support to the electoral process, including by closing its International Coordination Office for Election Observers in Dhaka," Ban said. Technical support includes consulting and advice on publishing results as well as ballot casting and counting. Ban urged the army, which has been called out by the government to keep the peace, to stay neutral. "It is hoped that the army will continue to play a neutral role, and that those responsible for enforcing the law act with restraint and respect for human rights," he said. Hasina and her successor Begum Khaleda Zia, the country's immediate past prime minister, have been foes since 1991 when they jointly led a people's revolt that ousted military ruler Hossain Mohammad Ershad. Political analysts say their rivalry has divided the country of 140 million and created animosities that may prove impossible to heal. "The country is definitely moving on a collision course," Nurul Kabir, editor of daily New Age told a television talk show. Khaleda ended her five-tear term as prime minister in October and handed over the country and the running of the elections to an interim government in a constitutionally mandated move aimed at ensuring fairness and transparency. But Hasina's Awami League and its allies have continued to accuse the interim government of bias in Khaleda's favour and on Wednesday said they would not only boycott the election but try to disrupt it with daily strikes and blockades. Political analysts were unsure how the situation would play out. "This is an unprecedented uncertainty shrouding the country now," Dhaka University professor Sirajul Islam Chowdhury said. "I cannot imagine what fate awaits (us). But I can predict more agitation, more violence ahead." The business community was concerned about the effect of the turmoil on the economy, which has been projected to grow 7 percent over the coming years. "Political parties should immediately shun conflict and violence, and try to make good to the people and the country," said Hossain Khaled, president of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (Additional reporting by Masud Karim and Serajul Islam Quadir) (Editing by Sonya Hepinstall; Reuters Messaging: anis.ahmed.reuters.com@reuters.net; +880-2-8614088))
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