It is no secret that the UK had concerns over the January 5, 2014 general elections because a majority of the people was deprived of exercising their franchise, said the newly appointed first female British high commissioner to Bangladesh yesterday.

The recent municipality polls cannot be termed fair and impartial because they fell short of the standards of credible elections, civil society organisation SHUJAN said yesterday, based on its observation of the entire electoral process including voting.

The recent municipality polls are not free and fair as it did not fulfill the criteria required for a credible election, Sushasoner Jonno Nagarik says.

The Election Commission is going to allow upazila parishad chairmen to participate in election campaigns in the upcoming union parishad elections.

Independent chairman candidates will not require voters' signatures to be able to contest the upcoming Union Parishad election, which is

Elections to around 600 union parishads (UPs) will be held at the end of March under political banners and schedule for the polls will be declared in mid-February.

Re-election in four polling centres of Saidpur municipality under the district today will decide the final result of the mayoral contest in the municipality with 32 centres.

Voting will again be held today amid tight security at 51 polling stations of 20 municipalities in the country.

Re-election at 10 suspended centres under Chowmuhani municipality of the district will be held on January 12.

Election to Singair municipality of the district will be held today. As many as 20,014 voters will exercise their right to elect a mayor, eight councillors and three women councillors (reserved).

Re-vote at 51 polling stations under 20 municipalities will be held on January 12, said Election Commission (EC)

Re-elections to 51 polling stations in 20 municipalities across the country will be held on January 12, officials at the Election Commission say.

The Election Commission (EC) will publish the final voter list on January 31.

The Election Working Group (EWG), an alliance of 28 civil society organisations, yesterday said the municipality polls could not be called "questionable" event though some incidents of irregularities and violence took place during the vote Wednesday.

Mayoral candidates of the ruling Awami League clinched a landslide victory in yesterday's election to 234 municipalities amid allegations of widespread electoral irregularities. AL candidates secured 179 mayoral posts while their rivals from the BNP got 21. And AL rebels obtained 19 posts. Ruling party men resorted to electoral irregularities in at least 80 municipalities with the local administration looking on. They stuffed ballot boxes and drove BNP candidates' agents out of polling centres, according to reports from The Daily Star correspondents.

A vacation bench of the High Court yesterday dropped from its hearing list a petition that challenged the legality of

The Election Commission and the ruling Awami League claimed yesterday's municipal polls were free and fair except for some stray incidents. The AL, however, accused the police of causing some of the incidents.

Thirty-six municipal mayor candidates of different political parties, including one from the ruling Awami League, pulled out of the electoral race yesterday alleging vote rigging by AL men and use of influence by local administrations.

The BNP has rejected the results of yesterday's municipal polls, alleging widespread vote-rigging, ballot-stuffing and capture of more than a thousand polling stations by the ruling party men.

Elections are test times. Today, it's a crucial credibility and popularity test for the major political players.