DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) - Khaleda Zia prepared to form a new government Thursday after her four-party coalition gained an overwhelming two-thirds majority in parliamentary elections.Her rival, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said the vote was ``fake and manipulated'' and demanded a new election. Foreign observers said, however, that the election - supervised by a neutral caretaker administration - was free and fair.
After a campaign marked by extreme violence and 150 deaths, police reported two more people killed in political clashes Tuesday and Wednesday and more than 50 people injured.
The Election Commission, using unofficial results, said Zia's four-party grouping won 202 of the 283 districts where voting was complete.
Voting was suspended for 16 seats after violence broke out at 130 balloting centers. Six people died and about 100 were injured. New voting in those regions will be held Monday.
The election was intended to fill 299 of 300 parliamentary seats. One candidate died shortly before the election. That seat will be filled in a special ballot.
Zia, whose alliance contains two Islamic fundamentalist parties, promised to continue the country's secular traditions. Bangladesh is 88 percent Muslim and some in her winning coalition want to move toward Muslim governance.
Hasina's Awami League won 62 seats, significantly lower than the 146 her party won in 1996 elections and a surprise to experts who had predicted a close race. Small parties and independents won the remaining 19 seats.
Zia served as prime minister in 1991, when she became the first woman to hold the post. Strikes led by Hasina cut short her five-year term, forcing new elections which Zia won in February 1996. Hasina boycotted that balloting, led more stirkes and demonsrations and forced a new election in May the same year. Hasina won that vote.
PHOTO CAPTION:
Supporters of Awami League, which was defeated in the just concluded Bangladesh parliamentary elections, protest against the results in Dhaka Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2001 as they claim the voting was rigged. The protesters demanded fresh elections. Foreign observers said, however, that the election _ supervised by a neutral caretaker administration _ was free and fair. (AP Photo/Pavel Rahman)