Bangladesh opposition boycott parliament session

The main Bangladeshi opposition party, the Awami League, says its newly elected members of parliament will be sworn into parliament, but will not join the opening session.

The party leader, Sheikh Hasina said the decision - announced after a meeting of the party's central working committee - had been taken in the interest of the country's constitutional process.

The Awami League had earlier threatened to boycott parliament.

They said their party candidates had been unable to campaign in last month's general election due to terrorist activities unleashed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party activist - who won a landslide victory.

The Awami League said it would closely watch the behaviour of the ruling coalition and would take a final decision about joining parliament later.

The ruling party secretary general, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, welcomed the opposition¿s decision.

He said that it was a good sign that the Awami League has finally accepted the people's verdict.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service