The United Nations has suspended technical assistance to the Bangladesh elections, scheduled for 22 January. The EU and the two US party institutes (NDI and IRI) are also suspending their missions.
Meanwhile, with the crisis deepening, Bangladeshi President Iajuddin Ahmed has declared a state of emergency,
suspending fundamental rights as described in the Constitution, a day after thousands of army troops and paramilitary forces were deployed across the country to maintain law and order and aide the civil administration in the smooth conduct of elections.
The Indian government is worried (same link as last):
The deteriorating security situation in Bangladesh is a cause for serious concern, a senior [Indian government] official said, and directly impacts India, as the growing violence and bitter rivalry between the major political combines allows the Islamic fundamentalists, some affiliated to the Al-Qaeda, to gain credibility with the populace.
Bangladeshi President Ahmed, who heads the caretaker government, is backpedaling on earlier insistence that the elections would go ahead, despite the opposition’s announced boycott. A deferment of “over a month” is under consideration. However, the Awami League (the main opposition party) is not impressed with the proposal.
Bangladesh president resigns as head of caretaker government
As soldiers enforce the state of emergency that he declared yesterday, Bangladeshi President Iajuddin Ahmed resigned as head of the interim caretaker government that serves in the period leading up to elections. The President also delayed the elections from 22 January to an unspecified date. The new head of the caretaker government will be Fakhruddin Ahmed, a former governor of the nation’s central bank. Bangladesh Nobel Peace Prize winnner and microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus earlier turned down the post.
Scion grafted by Fruits and Votes — 12 January 2007 @ 07:57
Bangladeshi Political Crisis
Why, do you ask, should that matter to anyone? Well, for one thing, Bangladesh is the seventh most populated country in the world and, as such, a political crisis there is no small matter.
Scion grafted by PoliBlog ™: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts — 12 January 2007 @ 09:34