The World - News from March 4, 1988

At least 11 people were reported killed and hundreds injured in violence related to parliamentary elections in Bangladesh, which the opposition denounced as fraudulent. Early results showed President Hussain Mohammed Ershad’s Jatiya Party leading in 53 of 282 constituencies. Newspapers, quoting reliable sources, said 11 people were killed although Home Minister Abdul Matin said there were five fatalities. A 21-party opposition alliance boycotted the election, urging the nation’s 46 million electorate not to vote. The opposition also called for a general strike, which effectively closed much of the capital of Dhaka.