Dec. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Khaleda Zia, whose Bangladesh Nationalist Party was defeated by a landslide in national elections this week, said the ballot was rigged, the Daily Star newspaper reported.

“By declaring pre-set results, the Election Commission has shown the polls did not reflect public opinion,” the English- language daily cited Zia as telling reporters early today. There has never been such an instance of such a “massive ballot rigging,” she said.

The Dec. 29 vote, the first national election in Bangladesh since 2001, was won by a political alliance headed by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed’s Awami League. The alliance won 262 seats in the 300-member parliament, while the BNP and its allies won 32, the Star reported.

Zia, also a former premier, and Hasina have dominated Bangladeshi politics for the past decade and rivalry between their supporters led to street fighting, strikes and transport blockades that prompted an army-backed interim government to declare a state of emergency two years ago. Analysts say the country of more than 150 million people could see renewed political violence if the BNP refuses to accept the result.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ed Johnson in Sydney at ejohnson28@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: December 30, 2008 18:21 EST