Grand alliance takes a big lead
Tuesday, 30 December 2008
FE Report
The Awami League (AL)-led grand alliance was leading in 76 constituencies and its rival BNP-led four-party alliance in 14 seats in the ninth parliamentary elections, according to initial counts of results announced by the Election Commission until filing this report at 11pm Monday.
Candidates of the AL-led grand alliance won in ten constituencies and the BNP-led four-party alliance candidates four constituencies and Jatiya Party (Ershad) in one constituency, according to unofficial results announced by the EC.
Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina was unofficially declared winner in two constituencies. She won the landslide victory in Gopalganj-3 and Rangpur-6.
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia was declared unofficially elected from Bogra-6 and Bogra-7.
Other AL candidates who were declared unofficially elected are Monoranjan Shil Gopal (Dinajpur-1), Asaduzzaman Noor (Nilphamari-2), Faruk Khan (Gopalganj-1), Motahar Hossain (Lalmonirhat-1), Abdur Rahman (Faridpur-1), Sayeda Sajeda Chowdhury (Faridpur-2), Keramat Ali (Rajbari-1) and Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim (Gopalganj-2).
Jatiya Party candidate Golam Kader was unofficially declared elected from Lalmonirhat-3. The unofficially elected candidates of the BNP-led alliance are MK Anwar (Comilla-2), Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anni (Laxmipur-3) and Joynal Abedin (VP Joynal) (Feni-2).
The polling to elect members of the 9th Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) was held Monday amid enthusiasm and festivity throughout the country.
Belying strong fears of violence, the polling that began at 8.0am was mostly peaceful with unprecedented voters' turnout. Counting of votes began immediately after the poll ended at 4.0pm. The authorities allowed those who entered polling centre compounds by 4.0pm to cast their votes after the deadline.
With the holding of the 9th parliamentary election, the country is expected to return to democracy ending nearly two-year's of emergency rule by army-backed caretaker government with Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed as its head.
According to reports reaching the FE, the voting was peaceful all over the country and the voters, especially the females and the first-time ones, cast their votes in a festive mood.
However, some stray incidents of violence were reported from different parts of the country. One person was stabbed to death in Noakhali-6 while returning home after casting vote at remote Janata Bazar polling centre. The victim was identified as Mofizur Rahman (48), a farmer.
News agency UNB reported that Manzurul Ahsan Munshi, husband of BNP candidate Majeda Ahsan in Comilla-4, was arrested this afternoon on charges of violating the code of conduct. Police said Manzur was moving in a car in Debidwar and trying to influence the voters in favour of his wife.
Voting was suspended in a centre in Noakhali-3 following clashes between activists of rival candidates.
In Pabna, a polling officer was arrested for allegedly violating rules of election. He was identified as Lalan Uddin Master, a polling officer of Zahidpur Government Primary School Centre in Pabna-5 constituency.
Some 17 people were arrested by law enforcing agencies from different poling centres in Chittagong. The police said they arrested them for violating the election code of conduct such as influencing voters.
The number of candidates vying for Monday's electoral race totaled 1,555-of them 263 belong to Awami League (AL) while 259 are affiliated with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
In addition, 48 candidates are from Jatiya Party (JP), 38 from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (Jamaat), four from Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), three from Workers Party (WP), four from Islami Oikyo Jote (IOJ), and two from Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP). The total number of independent candidates were 148.
The AL chief, Sheikh Hasina, heads the grand alliance and the BNP chief, Khaleda Zia, is the chief of the four-party alliance that was in power between 2001 and 2006.
The JP, headed by former president HM Ershad, JSD with Hasanul Huq Inu as the chief and the WP of which Mr Rashed Khan Menon is the president are in Sheikh Hasina's grand alliance. Jamaat, IOJ and BJP are members of Khaleda-led four party alliance.
Both Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia in their election manifestos have pledged to crack down on violent extremists while promising to hold down prices and promote development in the country.
The authorities deployed 650,000 police and soldiers across the country to prevent violence and vote fraud in a country that has a history of military rule and political unrest.
In the capital, the vote ended in a festive atmosphere, without any major reports of violence. There were 20 seats and total voters were 62,62,820 including 32,92, 419 female. There were 12640 booths in 2567 polling centres.
The voting was by and large peaceful in the city, as the law enforcers remained vigilant in all the centers.
Cheerful voters waited as long as an hour in queue to cast their ballots while others who were finished stayed on the streets to chat. Men and women voted at separate sites.
Presence of females including the first-time voters was significant in almost all the centers.
Biharis, the stranded Pakistanis, who became voter this year rushed heavily to cast their votes for the first time in the country's history.
Due to mismatch in voter lists a good number of voters of Mirpur, Mohammadpur and Gulshan, however, left the city polling centers without casting their votes.
The voter list with photographs has eased up the voting.
In Madaripur, twenty persons were injured in separate clashes between activists of rival candidates in Kalkini and Shibchar upazilas Monday. Activists of the two candidates in Madaripur-3 constituency were locked in an altercation and clashed causing injuries on both sides.
Voting was suspended at Mati Mia High School centre in Noakhali-3 constituency at 1-20pm following clashes between supporters of rival candidates.
UNO Manzurul Momin admitting suspension of voting said supporters of BNP candidate Barkatullah Bulu and independent candidate Minhaj Ahmed Javed clashed accusing each other of influencing the voters.
Voting did not resume when last report came in 1-55 pm.
In Noakhali-5 constituency, three people were injured as supporters of rival candidates were locked in clashes at Kalam Box polling centre. Situation returned to normal when Army mobile team came to the spot.
Stray clashes also occurred in Noakhali-6 constituency leaving one person wounded.
In Chandpur, BNP candidate in Chandpur-1 Ehsanul Haq Milan came under attack at Narayanpur Bazar allegedly by activists of his rival in the morning. Police said Milan's car was slightly damaged but he escaped unhurt.
In Khulna, police arrested a man along with a fake ballot paper from near Sundarban Women College Centre in Rampal upazila Monday afternoon.
Police said local people caught Aminul Sardar alongwith the fake ballot paper at about 3:30pm while roaming around the area.
They, later, handed him over to Rampal thana police. He was being interrogated, police said.
The Awami League (AL)-led grand alliance was leading in 76 constituencies and its rival BNP-led four-party alliance in 14 seats in the ninth parliamentary elections, according to initial counts of results announced by the Election Commission until filing this report at 11pm Monday.
Candidates of the AL-led grand alliance won in ten constituencies and the BNP-led four-party alliance candidates four constituencies and Jatiya Party (Ershad) in one constituency, according to unofficial results announced by the EC.
Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina was unofficially declared winner in two constituencies. She won the landslide victory in Gopalganj-3 and Rangpur-6.
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia was declared unofficially elected from Bogra-6 and Bogra-7.
Other AL candidates who were declared unofficially elected are Monoranjan Shil Gopal (Dinajpur-1), Asaduzzaman Noor (Nilphamari-2), Faruk Khan (Gopalganj-1), Motahar Hossain (Lalmonirhat-1), Abdur Rahman (Faridpur-1), Sayeda Sajeda Chowdhury (Faridpur-2), Keramat Ali (Rajbari-1) and Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim (Gopalganj-2).
Jatiya Party candidate Golam Kader was unofficially declared elected from Lalmonirhat-3. The unofficially elected candidates of the BNP-led alliance are MK Anwar (Comilla-2), Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anni (Laxmipur-3) and Joynal Abedin (VP Joynal) (Feni-2).
The polling to elect members of the 9th Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) was held Monday amid enthusiasm and festivity throughout the country.
Belying strong fears of violence, the polling that began at 8.0am was mostly peaceful with unprecedented voters' turnout. Counting of votes began immediately after the poll ended at 4.0pm. The authorities allowed those who entered polling centre compounds by 4.0pm to cast their votes after the deadline.
With the holding of the 9th parliamentary election, the country is expected to return to democracy ending nearly two-year's of emergency rule by army-backed caretaker government with Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed as its head.
According to reports reaching the FE, the voting was peaceful all over the country and the voters, especially the females and the first-time ones, cast their votes in a festive mood.
However, some stray incidents of violence were reported from different parts of the country. One person was stabbed to death in Noakhali-6 while returning home after casting vote at remote Janata Bazar polling centre. The victim was identified as Mofizur Rahman (48), a farmer.
News agency UNB reported that Manzurul Ahsan Munshi, husband of BNP candidate Majeda Ahsan in Comilla-4, was arrested this afternoon on charges of violating the code of conduct. Police said Manzur was moving in a car in Debidwar and trying to influence the voters in favour of his wife.
Voting was suspended in a centre in Noakhali-3 following clashes between activists of rival candidates.
In Pabna, a polling officer was arrested for allegedly violating rules of election. He was identified as Lalan Uddin Master, a polling officer of Zahidpur Government Primary School Centre in Pabna-5 constituency.
Some 17 people were arrested by law enforcing agencies from different poling centres in Chittagong. The police said they arrested them for violating the election code of conduct such as influencing voters.
The number of candidates vying for Monday's electoral race totaled 1,555-of them 263 belong to Awami League (AL) while 259 are affiliated with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
In addition, 48 candidates are from Jatiya Party (JP), 38 from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (Jamaat), four from Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), three from Workers Party (WP), four from Islami Oikyo Jote (IOJ), and two from Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP). The total number of independent candidates were 148.
The AL chief, Sheikh Hasina, heads the grand alliance and the BNP chief, Khaleda Zia, is the chief of the four-party alliance that was in power between 2001 and 2006.
The JP, headed by former president HM Ershad, JSD with Hasanul Huq Inu as the chief and the WP of which Mr Rashed Khan Menon is the president are in Sheikh Hasina's grand alliance. Jamaat, IOJ and BJP are members of Khaleda-led four party alliance.
Both Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia in their election manifestos have pledged to crack down on violent extremists while promising to hold down prices and promote development in the country.
The authorities deployed 650,000 police and soldiers across the country to prevent violence and vote fraud in a country that has a history of military rule and political unrest.
In the capital, the vote ended in a festive atmosphere, without any major reports of violence. There were 20 seats and total voters were 62,62,820 including 32,92, 419 female. There were 12640 booths in 2567 polling centres.
The voting was by and large peaceful in the city, as the law enforcers remained vigilant in all the centers.
Cheerful voters waited as long as an hour in queue to cast their ballots while others who were finished stayed on the streets to chat. Men and women voted at separate sites.
Presence of females including the first-time voters was significant in almost all the centers.
Biharis, the stranded Pakistanis, who became voter this year rushed heavily to cast their votes for the first time in the country's history.
Due to mismatch in voter lists a good number of voters of Mirpur, Mohammadpur and Gulshan, however, left the city polling centers without casting their votes.
The voter list with photographs has eased up the voting.
In Madaripur, twenty persons were injured in separate clashes between activists of rival candidates in Kalkini and Shibchar upazilas Monday. Activists of the two candidates in Madaripur-3 constituency were locked in an altercation and clashed causing injuries on both sides.
Voting was suspended at Mati Mia High School centre in Noakhali-3 constituency at 1-20pm following clashes between supporters of rival candidates.
UNO Manzurul Momin admitting suspension of voting said supporters of BNP candidate Barkatullah Bulu and independent candidate Minhaj Ahmed Javed clashed accusing each other of influencing the voters.
Voting did not resume when last report came in 1-55 pm.
In Noakhali-5 constituency, three people were injured as supporters of rival candidates were locked in clashes at Kalam Box polling centre. Situation returned to normal when Army mobile team came to the spot.
Stray clashes also occurred in Noakhali-6 constituency leaving one person wounded.
In Chandpur, BNP candidate in Chandpur-1 Ehsanul Haq Milan came under attack at Narayanpur Bazar allegedly by activists of his rival in the morning. Police said Milan's car was slightly damaged but he escaped unhurt.
In Khulna, police arrested a man along with a fake ballot paper from near Sundarban Women College Centre in Rampal upazila Monday afternoon.
Police said local people caught Aminul Sardar alongwith the fake ballot paper at about 3:30pm while roaming around the area.
They, later, handed him over to Rampal thana police. He was being interrogated, police said.