FACTBOX: Bangladesh parties set similar goals
(Reuters) - Bangladesh's two main political parties have similar manifestoes for Monday's election that aims to bring the South Asian country of 140 million people back to democracy, ending nearly two years of emergency rule.
The Awami League led by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) headed by bitter rival Begum Khaleda Zia both stress reducing poverty and lifting the economy.
Following are some key promises made by the parties:
* ECONOMY:
-- The Awami League has promised to cut poverty, ensure employment, make the country self-reliant in food, produce more power and provide incentives to growth-oriented sectors such as textiles.
-- The BNP will aim to lower prices of food and other essentials, take steps to improve the economy and draft an energy policy within 100 days in power.
-- Both parties say they will make efforts to stamp out poverty by generating jobs for at least one active member of each family.
* SOCIAL
-- The Awami League says it will help the poor, disabled and women by giving equal rights at work and politics.
-- The Bangladesh Nationalist Party says it will ensure farmers get assistance and subsidies if necessary and provide education for all within five years.
-- The Awami League says it will fight corruption at all levels and ensure justice for all, and the BNP also promised to also curb corruption, endemic in the country.
* POLITICS:
-- The Awami League will aim to woo young and newly registered voters, who account for around half the over 81 million eligible electorate.
-- The Bangladesh Nationalist Party says it will ensure an election is held every five years.
* INTERNAL SECURITY:
-- The Awami League will seek support for creating a South Asia task force to combat terrorism.
-- The Bangladesh Nationalist Party says it will scrap the Special Powers Act that allows police to arrest and detain people before being formally charged. Khaleda has separately said she would seek foreign help in combating terrorism.
* STRIKES AND PARTY REFORM:
-- Neither manifesto made any clear commitment on not staging political strikes or protests, which badly hit business and exports, or on reforming the autocratic stricture of the parties. But in final campaign speeches both party leaders suggested it was time to end the confrontational politics of the past and learn from previous mistakes.
(Writing by Anis Ahmed; Editing by Sugita Katyal and Jerry Norton)
