The election chief in Bangladesh says the country's long-awaited
parliamentary elections will be held December 29th, 11 days later than
originally scheduled.
The election commissioner A T M Shamsul Huda said on Sunday that the vote was rescheduled after consultations with the country's two main political parties.
The deadline for submitting nominations also was extended to November 30th.
Former Prime Minster Khaleda Zia had asked for the delay, saying her
Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies needed more time to prepare
for the vote.
The elections are intended to restore democracy to Bangladesh nearly
two years after the army imposed emergency rule to end political
violence.
The main political parties are demanding the state of emergency be
lifted before the election. Authorities have said it might be lifted
after the nominating process.
We have detailed report from our Dhaka stringer Amir Khasru.