Jan. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Bangladesh will hold elections by December this year, the interim government said, as the South Asian nation marks a year of emergency rule.

``Over and over again we are saying that free, fair and credible elections will be held by the end of 2008,'' Sayed Fahim Munaim, a government spokesman, said in a telephone interview from the capital, Dhaka. ``The government will hold negotiations with political parties soon.''

A state of emergency was declared in Bangladesh, a country of 150 million people, on Jan. 11 last year when the government canceled elections scheduled for the same month to try to end clashes between supporters of political parties.

The administration, backed by the military, has arrested about 150 politicians in a crackdown on corruption, including former prime ministers Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina Wajed. Local elections are scheduled for April in four of the country's six city voting districts and 10 of the 14 municipalities.

The U.S. wants the government to hold elections and restore democracy as soon as possible, John Gastright, deputy assistant secretary for South Asian affairs, said on Sept. 19 when he met the Chief Election Commissioner A.T.M. Shamsul Huda in Dhaka.

The Election Commission has already issued photo identity cards to 26 million of the estimated 85 million voters, Huda said in a telephone interview from Dhaka.

``As far as we are concerned we will be fully ready,'' he said. ``There will be absolutely no iota of doubt in my mind that elections will not be held.''

Political Parties

Talks with political parties will be completed by March, Huda said.

Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Wajed's Awami League alliance have been invited to take part in the talks, Huda said. The BNP won the last general election in 2001.

The national ballot will ``completely'' depend on how efficiently voter registration is undertaken, Huda said.

``In the last list there were 90 million plus voters due to a lot of fake voters and duplication. We want to rectify that,'' he said. ``If the list is completed by October then we can hold elections earlier.''

Amnesty International's Secretary-General Irene Khan, who is visiting Bangladesh, said Fakhruddin Ahmed, the chief adviser to the government, has pledged that elections will be held by the end of the year.

``The state of emergency is an issue because there are restrictions on freedom of assembly, freedom of expression and freedom of association, all very important rights for political activities,'' she said. ``Those will have to be relaxed for a proper political environment.''

The government ``has made the holding of free and fair elections its key performance indicator,'' Khan said. ``It cannot deliver in the key performance indicator if it cannot take steps to strengthen rule of law and respect for human rights.''

Creation of a National Human Rights Commission, adoption of the law on freedom of information and separation of judiciary and the executive are commendable, she said, adding that changes to the judiciary and police are critical to the ballots.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jay Shankar in Bangalore at Jshankar1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: January 10, 2008 18:33 EST