Bangladesh Election Commision resigns

Private television channel NTV said the five resigned during a meeting with President Iajuddin Ahmed. One of the five officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the resignations on Wednesday.

Just 11 days before the elections were to be held, the president decided to cancel the polls, step down as head of the interim government and impose a state of emergency.

Bangladesh had for months been gripped by repeated protests by the main opposition Awami League, which accused the election commission of seeking to rig the polls in favour of the outgoing Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

A caretaker government has now taken over and pledged to carry out a string of reforms including reconstituting the election commission to ensure fresh polls are fair and credible.

Interim cabinet member Mainul Hossain said three new election commissioners had already been selected. “The new officials will start work to bring changes in the country’s electoral system and prepare the ground for the next election,” he said. “The government wants a poll free from corruption,” he added.

Hossain said he hoped the resignation of the five commissioners, including acting chief election commissioner Mahfuzur Rahman, would end the problems of the past few months.

Other planned reforms include the introduction of transparent ballot boxes, identity cards and depoliticisation of the civil service.

Some 33,000 arrests by the army and police have targeted allegedly corrupt politicians and godfathers.

The army is widely seen as having directed events from behind the scenes, reportedly demanding that the new caretaker government clean up political life in the embattled democracy and ensure that the next general elections are credible.