Bangladesh's main opposition announced on Saturday it would form a grand alliance with other major political parties to force the ouster of a controversial election chief and pave the way for 'fair' elections.
The announcement came as the caretaker government tasked with organising the parliamentary elections slated for January said it had reached a decision which it believed would resolve the row.
"The president (head of the interim government) will address the nation tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or the day after. He is going to announce the total package that has been done," cabinet member Mahbubul Alam told reporters after a meeting late on Saturday. He did not elaborate.
The main opposition Awami League and its 13 small allies have waged protests and nation-wide blockades during the past several weeks to force the resignation of chief election commissioner M.A. Aziz, but he has refused to quit.
Spokesman Abdul Jalil, reacting to the announcement, pledged to go ahead with a threat to hold more blockades and protests from Monday unless Aziz was replaced by on Sunday evening.
"Our programme is still on but we will hear what the president says in his address to the nation," he said.
The opposition suspended its protests and shutdown on Wednesday, allowing the interim government four days to reform the election commission to pave the way for fair elections.
"We have started talks with Jatiya Party and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and some other important parties to form a grand alliance to force the ouster of Aziz and his deputies," Jalil said earlier on Saturday. "We want the reconstitution of the election commission so we can have free and fair elections," he said.
The opposition accuses Aziz of rigging the elections in favour of the outgoing Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government by drawing up a voter list with more than 10 million fake voters.
The Jatiya Party, led by former military ruler general Hussain Muhammad Ershad, was the second biggest opposition party in the outgoing parliament. At a meeting with the caretaker government, the Jatiya Party said the "only solution" to the political crisis was the departure of the election chief.
The Liberal Democratic Party was launched last month by a former Bangladeshi president and 14 lawmakers who defected from the outgoing BNP. The LDP has not joined the Awami League, but has supported it on most issues including the ouster of the election chief.
Jalil also said he was holding talks with some smaller Islamic parties.
The blockade last week paralysed the country's cities and towns. Businesses ground to a halt during the four days of blockades. Deliveries to and from the main port at Chittagong in south-eastern Bangladesh were suspended.
One opposition activist died on Monday in a clash with police in the capital.
Four days of conflict between rival parties after the government's mandate expired late last month left 25 people dead.
The threat of renewed protests comes in the face of warnings by business leaders of major damage to the nation's impoverished economy.
"This blockade programme is destructive to the country's economy," said A.K. Azad, president of the Bangladesh Chamber of Industries.