A "grand alliance" headed by Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina led its rivals by 13-1 seats in unofficial results from today's parliamentary election, Reuters quoted election officials as saying. They said Hasina's alliance was leading in many other remaining constituencies of the 300-seat parliament against candidates of another alliance led by Hasina's rival Begum Khaleda Zia, also an ex-PM and a key contender for power. The vote was to return the South Asian country to democracy after two years of emergency rule imposed by an army-backed government.
