Bangladesh's army-backed interim government should hold elections as soon as possible as well as making progress on battling corruption, the European Union said on Saturday. The interim government, which took over in January, has vowed to clean widespread corruption from politics before holding parliamentary elections around the end of 2008.
"The EU supports the drive against crime and corruption as a means of embedding good governance and politics, but it also wants to see parliamentary election as soon as possible in 2008 after essential reforms," Andreas Michaelis, leader of the visiting EU delegation, told a news conference.
More than 170 senior politicians including Tareque Rahman, elder son of the most recent prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, former ministers from both the governments of Khaleda and her arch rival Sheikh Hasina have been detained in the anti-corruption drive. In a latest move on Saturday the authorities tightened security around the Dhanmandi residence of Hasina. An unhappy Hasina reacted, saying: "Why is this restriction? People love to meet me, I also like to meet them."
The EU troika, which also comprised representatives from incoming EU president Portugal and the European Commission, arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday four a four-day visit to assess the political situation and performance of the interim government towards restoring democracy, as well as preparations for next national election. They met political leaders and Fakhruddin Ahmed, head of the interim government.