DHAKA, Nov 18: Bangladesh’s main opposition announced on Saturday that it would form a grand alliance with other major political parties to force the ouster of a controversial election chief and pave the way for ‘fair’ elections.

The main opposition Awami League and its 13 small allies have waged protests and nationwide blockades during the past several weeks to force the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner M. A. Aziz but he has refused to quit.

The opposition suspended its indefinite shutdown on Wednesday, allowing the interim government four days to reform the election commission to pave the way for fair elections slated for January.

“We have started talks with Jatiya Party and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and some other important parties to form a grand alliance to force the ouster of Mr Aziz and his deputies,” opposition spokesman Abdul Jalil said.

“We want the reconstitution of the election commission so we can have free and fair elections,” he said.

The opposition accuses Mr Aziz of rigging elections in favour of the outgoing Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government by drawing up a voter list with more than 10 million fake voters.

The Jatiya Party, led by former military ruler general Hussain Mohammad Ershad, was the second biggest opposition party in the outgoing parliament.

At a meeting with the caretaker government, the Jatiya Party said the “only solution” to the political crisis was the departure of the election chief.

The LDP was launched last month by a former Bangladeshi president and 14 lawmakers who defected from the BNP.

The LDP has not joined the Awami League, but has supported it on most issues includ-

ing the ouster of the election chief.

Mr Jalil also said he was holding talks with some smaller Islamic parties.—AFP