Bangladesh oppn boycotts oath, calls for new election

Why should we take the oath when we’ve rejected this election?

Mirza Fakhrul Islam, secretary general of the main opposition BNP

dhaka — Opposition members of Bangladesh’s parliament boycotted a swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, after rejecting results of a general election that they said was rigged to give Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina her third straight term.

Hasina’s ruling alliance won more than 90 per cent of the seats contested in Sunday’s election, which was marred by accusations of ballot stuffing, voter intimidation and violence that killed at least 17 people.

Hasina and her ruling Awami League party have dismissed the accusations.

While newly elected members of parliament from the ruling bloc, including Hasina, were sworn in, the seven opposition members stayed away.

“Why should we take the oath when we’ve rejected this election?” Mirza Fakhrul Islam, secretary general of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), said.

Islam is one of the seven opposition members who won a seat.

Hasina has denied any election impropriety, calling it a peaceful vote that saw enthusiastic participation.

The Election Commission has rejected an opposition call for a new vote, but despite that, the opposition alliance on Thursday submitted a new demand for a rerun of the polls.

“Our each and every candidate will file a case with the election tribunal in their respective seats rejecting the results and bringing allegations of vote fraud,” Islam said. —