Poll ‘a fraud’

Press, 17 November 1981, Page 8

Poll ‘a fraud’

NZPA Dacca An unbeatable lead taken by the Acting President of Bangladesh, Abdus Sattar, in the presidential election on Sunday has brought a wave of protests from most of the Opposition candidates.

With more than half the votes counted so far. Mr Sattar has scored 8,148,684 votes compared to 2,741,846 for his closest, rival, Dr Kamal Hossain of the Awami League. The election was for a successor to President Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated last May.

Sheikh Hasina Wazed, president of the Opposition Awami League, imrpediately described the results as "bluff.”

At a late night press conference. he said: “It is quite clear from the poll results

that it was prepared in advance by the Government machinery."

Dr Hossain, who was earlier tipped to give a close fight to Mr Sattar, a Supreme Court Judge, told the press conference that “this is not an election but a conspiracy against the people."

The chief election commissioner, Justice Nurul Islam, said he had received no evidence of any malpractices during voting. Unofficial reports said four people were killed in separate incidents in the southern districts during polling. Voting was suspended in two centres of Noakhali, in the south, and two others in the Barisal district, because of disturbances.