Bangladesh ministers resign en masse to help formation of controversial polls-time cabinet

Bangladesh's government ministers have submitted their resignation letters to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ahead of the cabinet reshuffle as part of the formation of an all-party interim government to conduct the parliament polls slated for early 2014. Bangladeshi Cabinet Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told the media that the resignation letters were submitted to the prime minister during Monday's regular cabinet meeting. He said, "Ministers tender resignation letters to pave the way for formation of the polls-time government." "But the ministers will stay in office until the president accepts their letters," he added. Despite the main opposition alliance's threat to boycott elections, the Bangladesh ruling coalition has initiated moves to form the all-party polls-time interim cabinet in line with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's proposal. In the cabinet meeting on Nov. 5, ministers reportedly decided that they will resign in the next seven days to pave the way for the formation of the all-party polls-time government headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's main opposition alliance has already rejected Hasina's all-party polls-time government proposal. Khaleda has asked Hasina's Bangladesh Awami League (AL) to bring back a non-party caretaker system, or else it won't participate in the next polls because it fears an election without the caretaker government will not be free and fair. Khaleda's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its 17 allies including key Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party since Sunday morning have enforced the third long strike in a series which is this time for 84 hours, demanding a non-party government to oversee elections. The South Asian country's two arch rivals who alternately ruled Bangladesh for more than the last couple of decades held phone talks on Oct. 26, the first direct conversation between the two leaders since January, 2009 when Hasina cabinet took oath of office. Although the two parties are seeking dialogue to end impasse over the formation of the polls-time government, no headway has been made so far. The parliament is due to expire on Jan. 24 next year and elections reportedly should be held within 90 days before its expiry.