Army given power to arrest anyone without warrant

The Election Commission (EC) in an unprecedented move yesterday agreed to allow the armed forces to arrest anyone from any place without a warrant during their engagement in election duties. The Armed Forces Division in a proposal earlier sought the power for the army, navy and the air force for seven days including the polling day to ensure a peaceful atmosphere and security of voters in light of the existing law and order situation.

Responding to the proposal, the EC finally asked the home ministry yesterday to issue a notification to allow the armed forces to have the authority as they had desired in addition to the power they already have to arrest any person within a radius of four hundred yards of a polling station on the polling day. The EC in its letter to the home ministry however did not specify the time limit for allowing the armed forces to exercise the new power. The home ministry will decide for how many days the armed forces will be allowed to exercise the power.

But sources in the EC said the armed forces will enjoy the power for 20 days from January 10, the day of their deployment across the country on election duties. President and Chief Adviser Iajuddin Ahmed yesterday directed the armed forces to carry out their assigned duties for holding the January 22 parliamentary election in a fair manner. The president gave the instruction when Army Chief Lt Gen Moeen U Ahmed called on him in Bangabhaban in the afternoon. Being legally empowered, the army, navy and the air force will be able to take actions against any person if the person is guilty of unduly influencing or compelling any other person to vote or to refrain from voting, directly or indirectly, by himself or herself or by any other person on his or her behalf. The home ministry will now issue fresh instructions amending the previous circular issued by it on January 3.

According to the existing electoral laws, a member of any law enforcement agency including the army, navy and the air force shall have the power to arrest any person without a warrant for maintenance of peace, law and order in a polling station or within a radius of four hundred yards of a polling station on the polling day. The power given to the armed forces, for the first time through a controversial ordinance in 2001, also allows them to take actions against any activity that goes against the electoral code of conduct. AFD now has an additional authority of exercising this power all over the constituencies, which will have the polls on January 22. According to the election laws, the armed forces can also themselves remove or issue orders to remove multi-coloured posters or portraits of candidates, campaign gates and arches, barricades, banners, microphones, loudspeakers, and decorative campaign illuminations, and can paint over graffiti on walls.

Blockaders - Cops clashes marked first day of Blockade

Capital remains cut off, trains halted, operation in ports suspended

The first day of blockade witnessed Blockaders clash with law enforcers. More than 200 persons were injured as blockaders fought pitched battles with law enforcers in the capital and elsewhere yesterday of the three-day countrywide blockade called by Awami League (AL)-led grand alliance.The blockade cut off the capital from the rest of the country. Military vehicles mounted with automatic weapons patrolled the streets of the capital yesterday. The army and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members were seen guarding different strategic points in the city. Hundreds of rubber bullets, tear gas shells fired in Adabor in capital. Several hundred army personnel were drawn together in Adabor after the area witnessed the worst clash of the day between grand alliance activists and police leaving around 50 injured.

Only the vehicles carrying Hajj pilgrims and journalists, ambulances, all exams and pharmacies were exempted from the 72-hour blockade. Besides, clashes and chases took place between the blockaders and police at Maghbazar, Russel Square, Matshya Bhaban crossing, Zero point, Tanti Bazar, Lalbagh, and Badda. Police arrested 106 activists of the grand alliance in the city. Around 100 leaders of both AL-led grand alliance and BNP-led four-party alliance were injured in sporadic clashes in different places outside the capital as well. Inter-district road communications were snapped as no inter-district bus operated. Rail communications were also halted at various stations in Dhaka, Pakshi, Lalmonirhat, and Daulatpur.

Activities at the country's premier seaport were also hampered due to the blockade. Loading and unloading took place partially but delivery of cargoes remained suspended.

ADABOR

Around 50 people including policemen and journalists were injured during a four-hour clash that turned Baitul Aman Housing Society, PC Culture and Adabor areas in the capital into a big battle filed. The fighting erupted after police had charged batons and dispersed several hundred AL leaders and activists when they gathered in front of the house of a local AL leader and ward commissioner Abul Hashem Hashu on Road No 10 in Baitul Aman Housing Society around 10:00am. Police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets at the demonstrators several hundred times. They also fired from shotguns adding fuel to the anger of the demonstrators. Police arrested 28 people from the spot during the clashes.

Grand alliance boycotts January 22 Elections

Awami League (AL)-led grand electoral alliance yesterday announced it will boycott and resist the parliamentary election set for January 22, alleging that all the electoral preparations by the government so far have been for 'stage-managing the next election in favour of BNP-Jamaat-led four-party alliance'. In defence of its latest decision, AL President Sheikh Hasina at a crowded news briefing alleged that an atmosphere conducive to a fair election has yet to come to existence although only 19 days are left for it; instead of a neutral caretaker government President Iajuddin Ahmed established a shadow government of BNP-Jamaat; a flawless voter list safeguarding the people's right to universal franchise has not been prepared yet; and the administration still remains politicised. Asked whether the grand alliance will be responsible for any constitutional crisis arising from its election boycott, Hasina said, "A constitutional crisis can be avoided by holding of fair election following Iajuddin's resignation… a constitutional crisis will be created if a farcical election is held by stealing votes."

On behalf of the grand alliance, Hasina demanded immediate resignation of Iajuddin Ahmed from the post of chief adviser (CA) and appointment of a new CA, reconstitution of the Election Commission in line with the package proposal prepared by the council of advisers, changes in the top levels of intelligence agencies, depoliticisation of the administration, a fresh election schedule following proper updating of the voter list, suspending Rapid Action Battalion's (Rab) activities till the election is over, and allowing Ershad and others to participate in the poll -- whose nomination papers had been 'illegally cancelled'. Referring to the grand alliance announced countrywide 48-hour blockade on January 7 and 8, the AL chief warned if the demands are not met even after that, then the president's official residence, Bangabhaban, will be blockaded indefinitely.

Following a series of hectic meetings among its components over the Eid holidays, the grand alliance finally yesterday decided to boycott the January 22 election. From the news briefing, the grand alliance chief asked the alliance candidates to withdraw their nomination papers prompting a large number of senior leaders to rush to the EC for withdrawing their candidacies. The leaders of the grand alliance asked the acting chief election commissioner (CEC) to postpone the electoral process to save the country from a probable disaster. Acting CEC Justice Mahfuzur Rahman however said the election will be held on January 22 as per the schedule. Soon after the grand alliance' decision, eight political parties including Communist Party of Bangladesh announced that they will also boycott the election.

Whether to contest the Elections? - Grand Alliance to decide Today

The Awami League (AL) led grand alliance will announce today its decision whether to participate in the next parliamentary elections under the circumstances, when the caretaker government is allegedly using the administration and law enforcement agencies against the alliance.

AL President Sheikh Hasina will announce the alliance's crucial decision at a joint press conference in the presence of top alliance leaders. Jatiya Party (JP) Chairman HM Ershad, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury, and other key leaders of the grand alliance will be present at Hasina's press briefing. AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil at a press briefing at the Dhanmondi AL office yesterday said President and Chief Adviser Iajuddin Ahmed with directions from the BNP-Jamaat alliance is leading the current situation towards a direction that will force us to take any rigid stance. The AL top leaders yesterday discussed the latest political development with Hasina at her Sudha Sadan residence.

Following declaration of Ershad's all five nomination papers invalid, the top leaders of the AL-led grand alliance began backtracking from their decision to contest the January 22 polls. Jalil said Ershad's nominations were cancelled without showing any proper grounds and following rules and regulations. At yesterday's press conference, Jalil alleged that leaders and activists of the AL-led grand alliance have been killed, arrested, tortured and harassed by the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and police across the country ahead of the elections. If the AL decides not to go to the polls, then they will make all-out efforts to resist any move to hold a "unilateral election," by mobilising the public.

Army employed to tackle Hartal after 16 years -100 injured

The Jatiya Party (Ershad), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and some Islamic parties at a grand rally on December 18 formally joined hands with the 14-party alliance. From that rally, they called the dawn-to-dusk hartal, demanding Iajuddin's resignation as the CA and immediate measures to create a level playing field before the upcoming general election.

Following the hartal yesterday, for the first time, since restoration of democracy through a mass upsurge in 1990, the government that too a caretaker employed the army to tackle political demonstrations in the city and elsewhere in the country. Deployed on December 9, following a unilateral decision of President and Chief Adviser (CA) Iajuddin Ahmed, the armed forces swung into action to disperse the pickets in Dhaka yesterday. The troops chased off supporters of the 14-party combine and its allies as the latter clashed with the police, damaged a couple of vehicles and set fire to another car in Shyamoli in the morning. Alongside the law enforcers, the military were on patrol across the city during the hartal hours. The BNP, however, stood up for the army's role, saying it is part of their [military] responsibilities to foil attempts to create anarchy.

The CA on December 13 ordered the army to be on standby and not to engage actively in routine law enforcement, but the home ministry did not issue any directives to the field level administrations in line with the decision, said sources. Meanwhile, CA Iajuddin Ahmed yesterday claimed that all conditions set by some political parties for participation in the upcoming election have been met, talking to the European Union delegation. Sticking to his stance on the army deployment, the CA told them that the armed forces have been deployed in aid of the law enforcement agencies to create and maintain an atmosphere congenial to free and fair election.

This time, the military deployment came 43 days before the polling day, which is January 22 according to the current schedule. In previous instances, the army was deployed only 14 days before the election in 2001, 18 days in 1996, and 23 days before the polls in 1991.

New Poll Schedule Disclosed, No change on Election Date -Election Commission

Election Commission rescheduled the polls timetable again, at the request of the advisory council of caretaker government,keeping in mind holding of election within the 90-day constitutional obligation.The council also requested Election Commissioner SM Zakaria yesterday to go on leave of absence and claimed that it has implemented the entire package proposal finalised 16 days ago although the proposals also included sending of Election Commissioner Modabbir Hossain Chowdhury on leave and appointment of new election commissioners to recast the EC.The council of advisers also decided not to appoint any new election commissioner although its package proposal had a deal in this regard.

A delegation of the AL-led grand alliance rushed to the EC yesterday afternoon and rejected the new timetable for the ninth parliamentary election, demanding announcement of election schedule after properly correcting the voter list first.
In line with the request of the council of advisers, the EC rescheduled the next election by extending the deadline for filing nomination papers by three days up to December 24.

The dates for other stages of the election were also re-fixed. In the new timetable, the date for scrutiny of nomination papers is December 28 and the date for withdrawal of candidature is January 3. The previous deadlines were December 22 and 28. The polling date, however, remains the same--January 22. The EC has to complete the election by January 25, the last day of the constitutionally stipulated 90-day period for holding election.

In reply to the demand of voter list correction, by AL-led grand alliance,the Election Commissioner said the electoral roll can be updated up to the day before election and the lists will be available at the district election offices for correction.

Following these latest developments towards resolving the existing political deadlock, the council of advisers hopes that all political parties will now participate in the election.