President Vladimir Putin was poised to tighten his grip on power yesterday in a Russian election that is certain to deliver him a landslide victory, though thousands of opponents staged a symbolic noon protest at polling stations.
The quality of the January 7 election in Bangladesh was undermined by incidents of state, ruling party and opposition violence, said the US-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI).
The US has urged the Bangladesh government to ensure a fair and transparent legal process for political activists arrested ahead of the national elections
The Committee to Protect Journalists said at least 18 journalists were assaulted or harassed while covering irregularities and violence during the January 7 national election in Bangladesh.
The ruling Awami League is considering not picking former lawmakers for the women’s reserved seats in parliament to allow new faces in the Jatiya Sangsad, said party sources.
The reserved seats for women in the 12th national parliament are all up for grabs, and a large number of women – from former MPs to even movie stars – have been seeking a spot on the Awami League’s list of potential nominees.
The Awami League yesterday decided not to field party candidates in any local government polls as a measure to stop infighting between AL leaders.
The Election Commission will hold the polls to the Mymensingh City Corporation and the Cumilla City Corporation mayoral by-polls on March 9.
