DHAKA: Bangladesh opposition leader Khaleda Zia on Tuesday called on citizens to stage a mass march to the capital Dhaka in an escalation of protests aimed at derailing controversial January elections.

Ms Zia’s call stokes tensions in the impoverished country, with over 100 people already killed in clashes since late October when the opposition launched the protests to force Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and make way for the polls to be held under a neutral caretaker government.

“I urge all citizens to march to Dhaka on December 29. This march is to say ‘no’ to these farcical elections and to say ‘yes’ to democracy,” Ms Zia, a two-time former prime minister, said in a speech.

“Wherever you are, carry a red and green national flag and march to Dhaka. We call this a march for democracy,” she said in the capital.

She asked the citizens to form “protest committees” in every village to foil the polls.”

The centre-left government insisted it would go ahead with the January 5 polls despite a boycott by opposition parties and major foreign nations announcing they won’t send any election observers.

On Monday, the United States joined the European Union and the Commonwealth countries in refusing to send observers to monitor polls, denting the credibility of the elections.—AFP