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An imam supplicating to God after the `Eid prayers. (Reuters)
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DHAKA — Bangladeshis offered their `Eid Al-Fitr prayers on Wednesday, October 25, for peace and stability as the world's third-largest Muslim country prepares for January general polls.
"Almighty Allah bless the country, which is in the throes of political adversity," an imam told a 50,000-strong congregation at Dhaka's national mosque, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"God, let a leader emerge from the bargaining and let them understand the political situation in order to hold a peaceful election," the imam said.
`Eid Al-Fitr, one of the biggest festival in the Islamic calendar marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, was held a day later than many Muslim countries, as the new crescent moon was not sighted until Tuesday night, October 24.
The festival was marred by the death of at least 28 people in two separate accidents as they travelled home to celebrate with their families.
At least 18 people died Monday when an overloaded ferry hit a goods boat and capsized on the River Meghna, near Dhaka.
Ten others died and 50 were injured, also Monday, when two buses collided head-on in the capital's central Gazipu district.
Critical Phase
Three days before Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia is due to transfer power to an interim authority, the government and opposition leaders remain poles apart on reforms to make the next election free and fair.
Khaleda is due to hand over power to the caretaker authority on October 27 at the end of her five-year rule. Opposition parties warn of protests if there is no smooth transfer of power, Reuters reported.
The main bone of contention is the choice of the head of the caretaker authority to supervise the election.
Khaleda's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) wants former chief justice K.M. Hasan in the post of caretaker chief, but the opposition Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina oppose him and say he has past associations with the ruling party.
The other main dispute is over the opposition's demand for removal of the chief election commissioner M.A. Aziz and his deputies, who are accused of pro-BNP bias.
Both sides said on Tuesday, October 24, they had yet to agree on any of 31 electoral reforms that Hasina proposed to ensure fair voting in polls due in January 2007.
Hopes for a settlement brightened when Awami chief negotiator Abdul Jalil said he had received a telephone call from his BNP counterpart Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan proposing an alternative to Hasan and offering more talks to resolve the deadlock.
But Hasina, who leads a 14-party opposition alliance, told reporters on Tuesday that Bhuiyan named Aziz as caretaker chief, instead of Hasan.
"Aziz is even more controversial and unacceptable to us," Hasina said, adding that if the disputes are not resolved by Oct. 27 opposition activists from all over the country would march to Dhaka and besiege the capital.
"The time is running out fast and an agreement ... must be reached by Friday," said Suranjit Sen Gupta, a senior member of the Awami League presidium.
"Otherwise the country will burst into protests from the moment when Hasan or any other partisan man takes over (from Khaleda)," he said.
BNP leader Khandaker Musharraf Hossain said the Awami League was trying to push the country into a "point of no return" and warned that peace-loving Bangladeshis would resist them.
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