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Munira Khan, chief of Fair Election Monitoring Alliance (FEMA), the country’s leading election monitoring organization, yesterday claimed that the average turn out in the 10th parliamentary polls was below ten per cent. “I personally visited many polling centers and our observers from different parts of the country also sent their reports, and according to the reports, ... Read more

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rokibuddin Ahmad yesterday admitted poor voter turnout and said the low turnout was logical due to the boycott of polls by the opposition parties. However, the CEC added that he had visited a polling centre in Dhaka and its voting environment was fine and the election was held peacefully. At ... Read more

At least 16 candidates have boycotted the 10th parliamentary elections, bringing allegations of irregularities and vote rigging by their opponents from ruling Awami League. Of them, nine are independents contesting the polls as rival candidates of ruling Awami League, six from the Jatiya party and one from BNF. The independent candidates are Bodiuzzaman

Ruling party activists at different polling centres under Dhaka-5 constituency were seen rigging ballots with the help of a section of polling officers in the presence of law enforcement agencies on Sunday. The polling centres include AK High School and College (new building) at Dania, Matuail Paschimpara Government Primary School, Matuail Ideal High School,

Most of the presiding and polling officers and agents of candidates were seen sitting idle during polling hours at different polling centres of Dhaka-15 and Dhaka-16 constituencies on Sunday. A visit to different polling centres of the two constituencies, including the Mirpur Girls’ Ideal Laboratory Institute, Mirpur Adarsha High School, Pallabi Government

Voting in 126 polling centres in 12 districts has been postponed following arson attacks on the eve of the 10th national election on Sunday, reports UNB. Sources at the Election Commission Secretariat said polling at 126 centres of the 12 districts has been postponed due to destruction of the centres in arson

Describing the Jan 5, 2014 as a black day for democracy, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Sunday said no one witnessed such an unprecedented, candidate-less and voter-less farcical election not only in Bangladesh, but also in the world history, reports UNB. In a joint statement, SCBA president AJ Mohammad Ali, also adviser to ... Read more

Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country, having chances of light rain at one or two places over Rajshahi and Rangpur divisons and the regions of Kustia, Mymensingh and Tangail till 6:00pm today. Moderate to thick fog may occur elsewhere over the country during midnight till morning, Met Office said. Mild cold ... Read more

Exercise franchise: AL; boycott and resist: BNP With tension, disappointment and fear of violence running high across the country, the Election Commission (EC) is all set to hold the 10th parliamentary poll today amid Opposition threat of resistance. The Awami League yesterday urged the voters to exercise their franchise without fear. On the other hand, ... Read more

Guinness authorities have certified Bangladesh’s record of forming the largest human flag. The record has also been officially posted on the Guinness World Record website http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/2000/largest-human-national-flag. To mark the 43rd Victory Day on December 16, a total of 27,117 volunteers including

The blockade of roads, railway and waterways that the opposition alliance started enforcing on January 1 became violent on the third day on Friday, with two days left to the 10th national elections to be held tomorrow. The alliance led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party on the day also announced a general strike for 48 hours ... Read more

The BNP-led opposition alliance enforces a general strike for 48 hours, amidst the current blockade of roads, railway and waterways, across the country beginning this morning, 24 hours before the national polls scheduled for tomorrow. The BNP chairperson’s adviser Osman Faruque announced the programme at a press conference in the capital on Friday evening

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, on Friday urged people to totally boycott the ‘farcical’ election scheduled for Sunday. She gave a clarion call to people to carry out ‘democratic movement’ in a situation when she was under ‘house arrest.’ ‘I call upon countrymen to fully

The poll-time government’s finance minister, AMA Muhith, yesterday dropped hints that the new government would not stay in power for five years. “I don’t think the new government will stay in power for five years. Another general election could be held any day after the formation of the new

The 10th parliamentary election is set to be held tomorrow in 59 districts across the country, amid boycott by the main opposition BNP and its allies. A total of 390 candidates will contest the polls in 147 parliament constituencies as candidates in the remaining 153 seats have been elected unopposed. As such, no voting will ... Read more

Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane highway Only 41 per cent of the upgrading work of the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway to four lanes has been completed till November 30, says a recent Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) report. The deadline for the project is December 2014.  According to the monthly IMED report, the Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane project has progressed only ... Read more

The failure of the major political parties in Bangladesh to take steps to hold free, fair and credible elections is not a good sign, the United States State Department said on Thursday. “As I’ve been clear, they haven’t taken steps to hold free, fair, and credible elections, so clearly that’s not a good sign,” Marie ... Read more

The curtain on election campaign fell at 8am today, 48 hours ahead of the start of voting for the January 5 election, reports UNB. As per the election rules, now all types of rally, procession and showdown are prohibited in the election areas till 4pm on January 7. No one can call or join any ... Read more

Police on Friday retrieved 28 human bones, including a broken skull, from the debris of Rana Plaza at Savar, reports UNB. Locals, former workers of the garment factories housed in Rana Plaza recovered the human remains and informed the police. However, after receiving the human bones, officer-in-charge of Savar Model Police Station, Mostafa Kamal, told ... Read more

Bangladesh will lose a big share of its readymade garments market to its competitors if the current political unrest and violence continue after the January 5 parliamentary elections, sources said. International buyers are shifting to India, Vietnam, Cambodia and Pakistan cancelling new orders in Bangladesh, said Mohammmed Hatem, acting President of Bangladesh