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Behind the facade of a democratic state in Bangladesh, there exists a well-established patrimonial system based on a complex web of patron-client relationships, antiquated rules and procedures, and a complex bureaucratic structure that makes reform difficult. Since the restoration of democracy in 1990, the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party have dominated the political scene.

As chief election commissioner M.A. Aziz stepped down, the caretaker government headed by President Iajuddin Ahmed appointed one of Aziz's three deputies, Mahfuzur Rehman, as acting chief election commissioner. The Awami League's demand was that not only Aziz but all his deputies should go. The coalition alleges that the present commission is biased in favor of the outgoing Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and that President Ahmed is not doing enough to ensure that the administration left behind by the BNP-led coalition acts impartially during the elections. The BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, which announced a march toward the Election Commission in Dhaka demanding immediate announcement of election schedules, called off their program on Wednesday night, following assurances from the president. \"We are not concerned about the recast of the Election Commission, but any change in the commission would have to be done in line with the provisions of the constitution,\" said BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan.

Ms [Hasina Wajed]'s Awami League and Ms Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party have been in power at different times since democracy was restored in 1992, but the two women -- Ms Hasina the daughter of Bangladesh's founding father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1975, and Ms Zia, widow of former military ruler Ziaur Rehman -- loathe each other. They have not spoken in years. Their animosity and the widespread corruption allowed to flourish under their respective administrations is blamed for the nation's impoverished state.

Ms [Hasina Wajed]'s Awami League and Ms Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party have been in power at different times since democracy was restored in 1992, but the two women -- Ms Hasina the daughter of Bangladesh's founding father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1975, and Ms Zia, widow of former military ruler Ziaur Rehman -- loathe each other. They have not spoken in years. Their animosity and the widespread corruption allowed to flourish under their respective administrations is blamed for the nation's impoverished state.

The notice to Sheikh [Hasina Wajed], who is in the US to visit her pregnant daughter, was disclosed less than 24 hours after the military authorities forced Khaleda Zia, the country's prime minister until she was ousted last December, to agree to go into exile in return for the freedom of her arrested sons. Sheikh Hasina and Begum Zia loathe each other and are blamed for the political mess that has enveloped their impoverished and corrupt country. They have ruled the country between them since democracy was restored in 1991. While Sheikh Hasina is in the US, Begum Zia is expected to leave for exile in Saudi Arabia.

''They broke the door, got inside and looted the place,'' said an American official who saw the attack. ''The role of the police was pathetic. They simply witnessed the whole thing and didn't move in until it was over.'' He said there was no evidence the rioters were directing their anger at the United States, however. The Dhaka Police Commissioner, Nasrullah Khan, accompanied Mrs. [Zia Rahman], telling her, ''Madam, I salute you,'' as he escorted her to the waiting van. Wearing a white sari as is customary for widows, she waved to supporters from the van and shouted to them to carry on. She was first driven to a police station and then to her house where she was confined under guard. Government officials disputed this, saying she was not officially under arrest, simply confined to her home. As her supporters shouted slogans on a nearby street, Mrs. [Hasina Wajed] stood at the veranda land shouted to reporters on the other side of a wall: ''The movement will continue until [H. M. Ershad]'s fall. That day is not very far.''

An exchange of visits at the highest political level will contribute to the further strengthening of friendly relations between Russia and Bangladesh, she said. [Hasina Wajed] invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Dakha earlier this year. Putin has sent Wajed an invitation to visit Moscow.