UPDATE - Interim setup unlikely as Bangladesh announces elections on Jan. 7

UPDATES WITH COMMENT FROM EXPERT, OPPOSITION LEADER, MORE DETAILS***; CHANGES HEADER, DECK

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) — Bangladesh's Election Commission announced Wednesday that parliamentary polls will be held on Jan. 7 next year, with no interim setup in sight.

Chief Election Commissioner Habibul Awal announced the election schedule after an address to the nation, with election campaigning to commence on Dec. 18 and continue until Jan. 5.

Security forces beefed up their presence around the commission building in the capital Dhaka after the announcement, as some opposition political parties, including the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), protested the announcement and demanded a neutral administration set the date.

Awal said they would hold the election in line with the country's Constitution.

Over 110.96 million voters are registered to cast their ballot to elect a total of 300 parliamentary members in the upcoming election.

- Interim setup unlikely

Eminent constitutional expert Shahdeen Malik told Anadolu that the government is not legally required to hand over power to an interim setup following the 15th amendment to the country's Constitution.

He added: "There is no possibility of changing the scenario in the next two months."

BNP has been on the streets demanding the upcoming election to be held under a non-partisan caretaker government.

On Wednesday, BNP started a fresh 48-hour nationwide blockade for the fifth time after Oct. 28.

At least 13 opposition men, including a journalist and a policeman, were killed. Over 13,300 BNP supporters, and leaders, have been arrested since Oct. 28.

The country’s apex court declared the caretaker system illegal in 2011 and subsequently the Awami League government amended the Constitution removing the system which was introduced in 1996.

The political rivalry between the ruling and the opposition parties intensified after the opposition demanded restoration of the system.

Talking to Anadolu, BNP Vice Chairman Zainul Abedin said the abolishment of the caretaker government from the Constitution was done in an “improper manner.”

“Caretaker government is a very logical instrument to ensure an equal field for all political parties to join a fair election,” he claimed.

Giving an opposite view to the BNP’s claim, the joint secretary of the ruling Awami League Bahauddin Nasim told Anadolu that the opposition demands are “unconstitutional.”

“We are determined to hold the upcoming election under this political government in line with the Constitution,” he stressed.