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DHAKA : Bangladesh's president buckled to massive opposition and international pressure by quitting his role as head of an interim government and promising "free and fair" elections for the country.
President Iajuddin Ahmed's announcement came hours after he declared a state of emergency in a bid to tackle worsening political violence generated by opposition allegations that the polls, which had been scheduled for January 22, would be rigged.
"I have decided to resign as head of the caretaker government, to pave the way for an acceptable election in which all political parties can participate," the president said in a televised speech to the nation.
"The new caretaker government will hold dialogue with all the parties, and prepare for new elections within the shortest possible time," he added, without giving a date for the new polls.
His temporary replacement as head of the interim government, responsible for organising elections, is Supreme Court justice Fazlul Haq - widely seen as being politically independent.
Ahmed will continue to serve as a figurehead president.
Opposition parties, led by the left-leaning Awami League, have alleged the planned election would be rigged in favour of the outgoing Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and have demanded a complete overhaul of the voting list said to contain millions of fake names.
The opposition had also promised a series of non-stop protests, blockades and strikes, meaning the politically-polarised nation was facing - as the president put it - a "grave situation".
Ahmed said the pre-poll violence, which has claimed dozens of lives, meant it had become a "necessity to declare an emergency". But he also admitted that "there were many errors in the voter list".
"It is the expectation of the people to have a free and fair elections... that are acceptable to all parties, at home and abroad," the president said.
His dramatic about-turn came after the United Nations suspended "all technical support to the electoral process" and warned it was concerned for the future of the country's democracy.
The European Union also announced it was suspending its observation mission to Bangladesh, one of the poorest, most corrupt and densely-populated nations on earth. - AFP/de
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