Mizzima News - Sheikh Hasina seeks Suu Kyi's release

Mizzima News - Sheikh Hasina seeks Suu Kyi's release
by Siddique Islam
Friday, 02 January 2009 12:50

Dhaka (Mizzima News) — Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's Prime Minister in waiting has sought the release of Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from prolonged house arrest and friendly relations with all neighbouring countries.

Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina made the demand at the first press conference after her party and the Awami League-led grand alliance's resounding victory in Monday's Parliament elections. The press conference was held at the Bangladesh-China Conference Centre in Dhaka on Wednesday.

"I have also been in prison for restoration of democracy in my country and she should not be in prison. We demand the release of Suu Kyi," Hasina said replying to a query.

She said her government would maintain friendly relations with China, the present world's fastest-growing economic powerhouse, and seek Chinese investments in Bangladesh.

Hasina, who is expected to be sworn in on or before January 10 as Prime Minister, her second stint after a break of five-plus-two years, said the first task of her government would be to cut high prices of essential commodities so that its is within the reach of the common man and eradicate poverty.

Excluding the seats of its partners, the AL bagged an astounding 230 seats in the ninth parliamentary elections, up from 62 in the 2001 polls.

The AL's landslide victory is a reminder of yet another landmark election in 1970 when the slain president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman garnered absolute majority, but was denied power by the then Pakistani regime, political observers said.

According to the Election Commission (EC) counts, the grand alliance got 262 seats while the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led four-party coalition won only 32 seats, independents four and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) one.

A total of 1,555 candidates from 39 political parties including independent candidates contested the election to replace the caretaker administration.

The last general election was held on October 1, 2001 for the 8th Parliament. A total of 1,935 candidates representing 54 parties and including 484 independents had contested the polls.

Thousands of voters turned up in the capital city and elsewhere in the country to exercise their franchise as voting took place in a peaceful atmosphere.

Local and foreign election observers, in their preliminary assessments, have hailed the parliamentary elections as by far the most 'peaceful" and fairest, calling upon the opposition to accept the people's verdict.

Of the total 81,05,8698 voters, the turnout was around 80 per cent on an average as against the last election's nearly 75 per cent, EC officials confirmed.