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Bangladesh blockade suspended

Haroon Habib

DHAKA: Bangladesh's ongoing political crisis has taken a new turn with the announcement that the beleaguered Chief Election Commissioner, Justice M.A. Aziz, has agreed to go on leave for three months in order to extricate himself from the electoral imbroglio.

However, observers do not see an early solution to the political crisis since the former Opposition parties are still sceptical of President-cum-caretaker Government Chief Iajuddin Ahmed's "neutrality".

Despite the exit of the controversial CEC, the main demand of the Sheikh Hasina-led 14-party alliance for reconstitution of the Election Commission and removal of the Election Commissioners still remain. However, the combine on Thursday suspended its programme of national blockade, but vowed to re-start the movement if the President remains "partisan".

The commission on Thursday morning appointed Justice Mahfuzur Rahman, one of the Election Commissioners, as the acting CEC.

President Iajuddin, who addressed the nation on Wednesday night, expressed the hope that political tensions in the country would ease and exhorted all political parties to join the election process.

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