Bangladesh election day pushed back by a week to Dec 30

Bangladesh poll authority on Monday deferred the date for next month's general elections by a week to December 30, a day after the country's main Opposition alliance demanded delaying the polls by a month to allow them to prepare for the poll.

Last week, the Bangladesh Election Commission announced that the 11th general election will be held on December 23.

The Jatiya Oikya Front a political alliance of opposition parties that includes the main Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has urged the Election Commission to defer the polls by a month.

The BNP, led by imprisoned ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia, on Sunday said it would participate in the general election next month, after it boycotted the 2014 polls that returned Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League to power. The BNP boycotted last election, citing unfair conditions for the polls.

"The 11th general election will be held across Bangladesh on December 30," Chief Election Commissioner Nurul Huda announced while attending an exhibition on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at the Bangabandhu Convention Centre here.

He said the commission discussed the letter sent by the Jatiya Oikya Front requesting a deferral of the polls.

The Election Commission will now accept nominations until November 28 he said.

Nearly 104.2 million people, including some 51.6 million women, are registered as voters. They will elect 300 representatives to Parliament through the balloting in about 40,199 polling stations.

"They [BNP and Oikya Front] said they are interested in participating in the polls," said Huda. "The election commissioners discussed the matter and came to this decision."
"There was some delay in getting their written proposal. We met on the matter today. But it is reassuring to the commission that the BNP and Oikya Front will take part in the polls."