Bangladesh elections put on hold

A court in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, has ruled that elections cannot be held for at least three months.

The High Court has ordered the Election Commission to suspend all poll-related activities until the voter registration process is completely overhauled. The ruling came after a petition was filed in court arguing that the electoral roll was faulty.

Earlier this month, President Iajuddin Ahmed quit as interim leader and postponed the 22 January vote. The court also asked the Election Commission to explain why voter lists had not been updated in time for the scheduled January polls.

The commission did not challenge the ruling. The petition was filed by a private citizen, Kazi Mamunur Rashid, who said Election Commission had ignored its constitutional obligations when it prepared the voting list."Any free, fair and credible election, either local or national, cannot take place without a valid voter list," Mr Rashid said in his petition.

Last week, the new head of Bangladesh's interim government, Fakhruddin Ahmed, vowed to crack down on the corruption and violence and promised to hold elections "as soon as possible". Mr Ahmed took over a fortnight ago after President Iajuddin Ahmed was forced to quit as interim leader following months of violent protests amid claims by a political alliance that the vote was being rigged.

The protests by a major opposition alliance, led by the Awami League Party, turned violent in several places and left more than 40 people dead. A state of emergency was also declared in the country before Mr Ahmed took office.

He pledged to hold the new elections within the shortest possible time.

BBC