Bangladesh opposition boycotts oath, calls for fresh election

DHAKA: Opposition members of Bangladesh’s parliament boycotted a swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, after rejecting results of a general election that they said was rigged to give Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina her third straight term. Hasina’s ruling alliance won more than 90% of the seats contested in Sunday’s election, which was marred by accusations of ballot stuffing, voter intimidation and violence that killed at least 17 people.

While newly elected members of parliament from the ruling bloc were sworn in, the seven opposition members stayed away. “Why should we take the oath when we’ve rejected this election?” asked Mirza Fakhrul Islam, secretary general of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

The Election Commission has rejected an opposition call for a new vote, but the opposition alliance on Thursday submitted a new demand for a rerun of the polls.