The European Union has recalled election observers from Bangladesh after a state of emergency was declared today following weeks of violent protests.
President Iajuddin Ahmed said a "grave emergency exists in the country threatening public security and its economy," Press Secretary Mukhlesur Rahman Chowdhury said. The president was expected to address the nation on television and radio to explain the step.
UN spokeswoman Michele Montas
The South Asian nation has recently been crippled by a series of strikes and blockades orchestrated by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her 19-party alliance that opposes an election later this month.
The alliance plans a series of new strikes and blockades starting on Sunday.
Hasina's alliance alleged that Ahmed's interim government, charged with holding the polls, favors her arch rival, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. The alliance demands Ahmed's resignation and a delay in the election to allow for reforms.
It has claimed that the voters' list for the election has flaws, including fake names. Other demands include the use of transparent ballot boxes and the removal of about 345 field-level election officials allegedly biased toward Zia.
Last month, the US-based National Democratic Institute's Dhaka office said in a report that 10 million names on the current voting list were "errors" or duplications - representing 13 per cent of the country's 93 million voters.
The United Nations and the European Union election observation mission in Bangladesh have suspended election-related activities and support for the South Asian nation, citing lack of legitimacy of the balloting.
The European Union recalled its observers while the UN suspended all technical support, including activities at its International Co-ordination Office in Dhaka.
"The political crisis in Bangladesh has severely jeopardized the legitimacy of the electoral process," UN spokeswoman Michele Montas said Wednesday in New York.
AP