Dhaka, Jan 17: An opposition candidate was elected head of a town council in one of Bangladesh's largest cities, defeating her rival from Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's governing coalition, the Election Commission announced today.
The vote yesterday in Narayanganj was seen as a test for Zia's 15-month-old government, which has come under attack for rising inflation and crime since sweeping the 2001 national polls.
Selina Hayat Ivy, a candidate from the country's largest opposition party, the Awami League, was elected chairman of the Narayanganj Municipal Council, the Commission said. She defeated Nurul Islam Sardar, a candidate from Zia's four-party alliance, by more than 16,000 votes.
Narayanj, with a population of about 270,000 people, in Bangladesh's fifth-largest city. It is 16 kilometres southeast
of the capital, Dhaka.
Bureau Report
