Friday, July 27, 2012

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina assures Britons of fair polls,London-Bangladesh


BANGLADESH NEWS

The Prime Minister has told a group of British MPs that Bangladesh will hold elections like any other democratic nation.

Sheikh Hasina received the members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Bangladesh at her St Pancras Renaissance Hotel room on Thursday afternoon.

She discussed parliamentary government, democracy, elections and the socio-economic scene of Bangladesh with the MPs, Hasina's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told the press.

The Prime Minister mentioned the more than 5,200 elections, including parliamentary by-elections and local government elections, were held during her government's current tenure.

She said that many opposition candidates had won these elections, which showed that the elections were free and fair.

Hasina told the group that Bangladesh's Election Commission was independent and it faced no interference from the government.

She reflected on her long struggle for democracy and asserted that nothing that could impede democracy would be tolerated.

The Prime Minister told the members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Bangladesh that the opposition leader had been present on only eight days in the ninth parliament.

She remarked that military rule had impeded growth for a long time in the country and called for increased investments from the United Kingdom. She also talked about special economic zones.

Lord Sheikh, Baroness Tonge, Keith Vaz, Peter Bottomley, Jim Fitzpatrick and Rushanara Ali were members of the group. They praised Hasina's efforts in development of Bangladesh.

Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, ambassador-at-large M Ziauddin and Bangladesh's High Commissioner in London Saidur Rahman were also present at the meeting.

Earlier, Lord Ahmed of Wimbledon called on the Prime Minister. He praised the Prime Minister's initiatives in different international forums for climate change. 

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