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Monday, 30 October 2006, 12:49 GMT

Bangladesh rivals stage rallies

Women on the streets of Dhaka Both main parties in Bangladesh are holding rallies in Dhaka following violence over the weekend which led to the deaths of nearly 20 people.

Police in the south-west of the country say that one person was killed and around 70 injured in fresh clashes.

The new caretaker government, led by President Iajuddin Ahmed, has met the opposition leader as he tries to put together a new administration.

The opposition has been refusing to recognise him as interim leader.

Main priority

Monday's rallies have so far been trouble-free.

The BBC's Waliur Rahman in Dhaka says that tension in the capital is slowly easing, with traffic returning to the streets.

Awami League rally in Dhaka

Our correspondent says that the main priority facing President Ahmed is to appoint a panel of 10 advisers to help him ahead of the elections in January and take charge of key ministries.

Correspondents say that Awami League Sheikh Hasina was expected to ask the president to remove Chief Election Commissioner MA Aziz and his deputies during the course of her meeting with him on Monday.

The opposition accuses them of being biased towards the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

The president is due to hold a separate meeting with the BNP leader Khaleda Zia.

'Zero tolerance'

One more person died on Monday - in the south-western district of Satkhira - as a result of political violence over the week-end, raising the number of people killed in political violence this week to 19.

Many more are reported to have been injured.

President Iajuddin Ahmed

The country's police chief, Anwarul Iqbal, said the police have been alerted countrywide to avoid any further violence.

"We are following a policy of zero tolerance. Police have been asked to take action if anyone tries to disrupt law and order," he told the BBC.

Mr Ahmed was sworn in as head of an interim government after the main political parties failed to agree a candidate on Sunday.

He is charged with ensuring fairness in January's elections.

His decision to take the job without opposition backing is said to be the last constitutional option available.

But there are fears that the move could trigger more protests.

The opposition Awami League failed to attend Mr Ahmed's swearing in ceremony and called on the president to prove he was truly neutral.

Protests 'to continue'

It had already rejected Mr Ahmed's candidature on Saturday, on the basis that he was too close to the BNP.

Opposition activists carry an injured supporter to a hospital after a clash in Dhaka

A former professor of soil science, he is in his seventies and had a heart bypass operation five months ago.

He will continue to perform his duties as president.

Violent protests began in Bangladesh on Friday after the opposition objected to the nomination of ex-Chief Justice KM Hasan to head the interim administration.

The Awami League accused him of being a stooge of the government, sent supporters on to the streets and threatened to paralyse the country.

On Saturday Mr Hasan pulled out just before he was due to be sworn in.

Under Bangladesh's unique system, when an administration comes to the end of its term it hands over to an unelected interim government which has 90 days to organise elections.



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Related to this story:
Bangladesh power shift postponed (28 Oct 06 |  South Asia )
Bangladesh rivals in key meeting (05 Oct 06 |  South Asia )
Bangladesh approaches zero hour (05 Oct 06 |  South Asia )
Bangladesh strike sparks clashes (21 Sep 05 |  South Asia )
Bangladesh strike ends peacefully (20 Aug 05 |  South Asia )
Raids after Bangladesh explosions (18 Aug 05 |  South Asia )

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