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Zia declares election victory

DHAKA, Tuesday (AFP) - Khaleda Zia, leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Tuesday declared victory in Bangladesh's general elections, calling her landslide success a mandate against her rival's "misrule".

"The victory is a mandate against the Awami League and all its misrule," she told a press conference after official figures showed she had trounced the party led by her bitter foe, outgoing prime minster Sheikh Hasina Wajed.

"My top priorities when I form my government will be to contain terrorism and corruption and to restore the rule of law," she said.

Of the 233 seats declared by late Tuesday, the BNP's four-party alliance had secured 167, a clear lead over the Awami League's 50, according to figures reported by state media. 299 seats were being contested.

The victory is Zia's second -- she led the BNP, founded by her slain husband and former president Ziaur Rahman, to success in 1991.

Zia said she had yet to receive a telephone call of congratulations from Sheikh Hasina, but said she would like to speak with her rival to discuss how they could work together to solve the country's problems.

Sheikh Hasina earlier condemned the election as "rigged" and left open the threat of withdrawing her party's participation in parliament.

The threat of political instability was looming in Bangladesh Tuesday as a landslide election victory by the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) that traded heavily on Islamic support looked set to be rejected by its main Awami League rivals.

With early results showing the country's 75 million electorate had given a BNP-led alliance a comfortable majority, Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina Wajed gave the first indication of trouble ahead by dismissing the ballot as "rigged".

The outgoing prime minister later held open the threat of a boycott on parliament, a move which would pose a serious setback for Bangladesh's young democracy and further hamper efforts to improve living standards in this desperately poor nation of 129 million people.

It was hoped the elections would prove a significant milestone in the country's democratic journey, which has previously been beset by allegations of massive corruption and intense antagonism between the main political powers.

Thousands of election observers were deployed, in addition to a 200-strong delegation of international monitors, who later endorsed the franchise as "generally free and fair", despite noting isolated incidents of violence and intimidation.

But, unless Sheikh Hasina accepts the result, Zia's government could be dogged by the same strikes and violence that have long been a feature on Bangladesh's treacherous political landscape and were used by her own supporters against the Awami League's 1996-2001 administration.

Despite the protests, Sheikh Hasina in July became the first prime minister to complete a full five-year term in office when she handed over power to the caretaker government of Latifur Rahman which was tasked with organing the election.

According to Sheikh Hasina, the caretaker government process, which was brought in after the collapse of elections in 1996, was particularly culpable in her party's crushing defeat.

"I introduced the caretaker concept to ensure the strengthening of Bangladesh's democracy, but this time it failed to deliver," she said. "This election was not fair."

She also warned that Islamic parties allied to the BNP would "use Islam as a political weapon, tarnishing the country's image as a secular ... nation in the international community."

Mostly-Muslim Bangladesh was founded on secular principles after independence was wrested from Pakistan in 1971 but Islam was later adopted as the official religion.

Islamic parties, particularly the Jamaat-e-Islami, have been the subject of numerous protests in the run up to the election, with opponents warning that their appointment to parliament could unleash a wave of hardline repression on the relatively liberal state.

According to editor Matiur Rahman of the leading Dhaka daily Prothom Alo, it was the Awami League's opposition to Islamic-orientated groups which caused it to lose the election so decisively.

"The day BNP formed an alliance with the Islamic groups a few years ago as part of its campaign against the Awami League rule was a signal that such a vote swing was likely in Bangladesh," Rahman said.

He pointed out that the BNP in most past elections polled some 33-34 percent of votes and an addition of eight to 10 percent of pro-Islamic votes through its alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami and other religious groups was certain to give it an electoral edge.

Some observers said the strength and size of this alliance was a factor which would allow the country to forge ahead with a functional democracy.

"I think there will be political stability now that one of the two parties, an experienced political party, has a majority," said Michel Lummaux, French Ambassador to Bangladesh, one of a number of international diplomats who has attempted to take a mediatory role in the elections.

"Democracy is deeply rooted in Bangladesh, the people have spoken and we hope both parties will respect this."

International monitors Tuesday described Bangladesh's elections as "generally free and fair", but expressed concern over intimidation and violence.

"The delegations agreed that the polling on October 1, 2001, was generally free, fair, peaceful and orderly," Tony Reid, coordinator of the United Nations Electoral Assistance Secretariat (UNEAS), told reporters.

Almost 200 monitors from eight countries supervised the poll in which early results showed former prime minister Khaleda Zia claiming a sweeping victory over her fierce rival and outgoing leader Sheikh Hasina Wajed.

Sheikh Hasina, the leader of the Awami League, alleged that the election was "rigged".

"Our polling agents were tied up or driven out in many places," she told AFP.

A European Union (EU) delegation of the UNEAS observers in a separate press conference expressed hope that "all political actors" would accept the election verdict.

"The electoral process has guaranteed sufficient conditions of freedom and fairness and represents an important step towards democratic consolidation." said EU chief observer Joaquim Miranda de Silva.

UNEAS said three people were killed and 100 injured in political violence on polling day, with incidents reported of ballot box tampering, obstruction of voters by polling agents and attempted attacks on polling centres.

"Observers reported that at some polling centres voters belonging to ethnic minorities were deprived of their right to vote," said a UNEAS statement.

But Reid said monitoring teams were impressed by the high turnout of voters at the 700 polling centres inspected by the observers.

An estimated 60 percent of Bangladesh's 75-million-strong electorate is believed to have voted.

Out of 233 seats already declared, the BNP-led four-party alliance has bagged 167, a clear lead over the 50 won by the Awami League, the official BSS news agency reported, quoting the independent Election Commission.

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Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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