Bangladesh opposition demands fresh polls

Bangladesh’s opposition demanded fresh elections Wednesday as parliament convened for the first time since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stormed to power in a disputed poll her rivals say was rigged. Police said several hundred demonstrators gathered in the capital Dhaka to protest against Hasina and her crushing victory in late December, which reduced the beleaguered opposition to just eight seats.

Hasina won a third-straight term and her Awami League secured 96 per cent of the vote in an election her critics and international observers say was plagued by irregularities. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies said they would boycott parliament and vowed huge demonstrations unless fresh polls were held within six months.