Word: zia
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...watching movies with his wife. He uses words like "epistemologically" and "baneful." But, as Bangladesh's current boss, the 66-year-old Ahmed is showing a steely resolve. Beginning last October, the capital Dhaka was struck by violent street clashes between rival supporters of outgoing Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party and opposition leader Sheikh Hasina's Awami League. In January, a state of emergency was imposed, elections scheduled for that month were indefinitely postponed, and Ahmed was named Chief Adviser-in effect the Prime Minister-of a caretaker government made up largely of technocrats backed...
...rule is his antigraft campaign against the establishment. So far, more than 160 senior politicians, top civil servants and security officials have been arrested on suspicion of graft and other economic crimes. The roundup has netted former ministers from the two main political parties and, most recently, even Zia's own son Tareque Rahman. Last week Rahman, 40, appeared in court to face a charge (which he denies) that he extorted $147,000 from the owner of a Dhaka construction firm. The government has also frozen hundreds of millions of dollars in bank accounts belonging to politicians-money it suspects...
...support the present government even though it is unelected, has banned all political activity, and has yet to announce a date for fresh elections. On Tuesday, in his first extensive interview since coming to power, Ahmed spoke with TIME's Simon Robinson in a meeting room next door to Zia's old office. Excerpts...
...fragile democracies. After Bangladesh returned to civilian leadership in 1991 following 15 years of mostly military rule, the two main political parties-the secular, nationalist Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina and the more Islamic-leaning and pro-business Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by outgoing Prime Minister Khaleda Zia-agreed that the incumbent party would step down a couple of months before every election. A neutral caretaker government would briefly run the country and the election commission until a new government was elected. The system is an admission of the coddling Bangladesh's democracy needs to survive. But, despite...
...made up of technocrats led by Fakhruddin Ahmed, a widely respected former central banker. But the task of healing the nation is heavy. The BNP is furious with the election delay and is demanding that the polls be held as soon as possible. Before Iajuddin called off the ballot, Zia described the Awami League and its allies as "conspirators" plotting to undermine the electoral process. It doesn't help that there's a seething rivalry between the two main leaders-Zia, 61, the widow of assassinated President Ziaur Rahman, and Hasina, 59, daughter of Bangladesh's first President, Sheikh Mujibur...