Bangladesh’s main Opposition party BNP and its rightwing allies have extended a 72-hour nationwide strike for two more days demanding the postponement of polls, even as the deadline to file nomination papers ends on Monday.
“The blockade will now continue till 5:00 pm on Thursday,” BNP spokesperson and joint secretary general Salahuddin Ahmed said in messages sent to media houses.
The Opposition protest, which was scheduled to end on Tuesday, would virtually paralyse the country straight for the second week.
The extension came as the deadline to file nomination papers for the upcoming January 5 elections expires on Monday. BNP had said it would not nominate candidates until settlement of the dispute over the election time Government.
The ruling Awami league and BNP are at loggerheads over the system for conducting the polls. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has formed a multi-party interim set-up while the BNP wants elections under a non-party interim Government.