Three times he had scheduled general elections, then canceled them after the opposition threatened boycotts. This time martial law Ruler Lieut. General Hossain Mohammed Ershad, who seized power in a 1982 coup, promised that the first voting in Bangladesh in seven years would take place in a "free, fair and peaceful atmosphere." It did not quite work out that way. At least twelve people were killed and 400 arrested last week amid blatant vote rigging, intimidation and violence, most of it committed by supporters of Ershad's Jatiya Party. At week's end the official count gave Jatiya 82 seats and the opposition...
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