Former Bangladesh premier Khaleda Zia on Thursday accepted her heavy defeat in the country's general election despite alleging the vote was rigged, a spokesman for her party said.Sheikh Hasina Wajed's Awami League party secured a landslide victory in Monday's poll, ending two years of rule by an army-backed regime that took power after deadly clashes between rival party supporters.
The BNP, winning just 29 seats out of a possible 300, immediately said election fraud was behind Sheikh Hasina's 230-seat win. But BNP spokesman Khondaker Delwar Hossain told reporters the party would now let the government-elect get on with its job, allaying fears that the fraud allegations could spark violence, as has followed previous elections.
"We want to give the Awami League party the opportunity to run the country. We want to see them keep their promises to the people," Hossain said, adding that the party still believed the vote was rigged. "We are going to try and make our party stronger and continue to work for the good of the people."
Prime minister-elect Sheikh Hasina, meanwhile, greeted a crowd of 3,000 well-wishers gathered outside her home. Apart from a brief victory speech, she has kept a low profile since the win amid fears that Islamic militants were plotting to kill her. She said during her speech on Wednesday that she would work with opposition parties while in power.
Officials have, meanwhile, warned that post-poll violence was still possible after a ban on political activity was lifted on Thursday. "Security to Sheikh Hasina is a top priority," the head of the elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) security force, Hasan Mahmud, said, adding that more than 50,000 troops deployed for the election would stay in position. Election Commissioner Shakhawat Hossain said voters should be cautious about public celebrations.
"They should not go around being very jubilant. So far so good, but there were incidents of violence that happened in the last election in 2001."
The election on Monday was largely peaceful with a festive atmosphere at polling booths, but police said they remained on guard for revenge attacks by losing activists and militants opposed to Sheikh Hasina. The BNP has said its party workers were dragged from polling booths during voting and later beaten up.
But after independent observers, including the European Union, declared the election was free and fair, analysts said the BNP had little choice but to admit defeat. "The party appears to have little power," Dhaka University politics professor Ataur Rahman said. Sheikh Hasina is expected to take charge of the country within the next week.
Cabinet choices: Sheikh Hasina consulted party leaders on Thursday over cabinet choices while officials said the outgoing interim government would likely transfer power next week.
One of Sheikh Hasina's party leaders, who declined to be identified, said she would likely avoid picking old faces for the cabinet and select some new and younger ministers. "This will reflect her desire for change," the source said.
Another official said the army-backed interim government aimed to transfer power late next week. Awami League said it wanted the transition to be completed before January 10.