Bangladeshi premier Hasina re-elected ruling party chief

Bangladeshi premier Hasina re-elected ruling party chiefDhaka  - Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Friday was Friday re-elected to a three-year term as head of the ruling Awami League party.

This was her sixth term at the helm of the party, co-founded by her father and the architect of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman over 60 years ago, a party statement said.

Hasina chose Syed Ashraful Islam, a senior minister in her cabinet, as general secretary of the party, which led the country's liberation war in 1971 against Pakistan.

Prior to her election to the top party post, Hasina called on her supporters to remain at the service to the people to wreak vengeance on the rivals for years of persecution in the past.

"We are in power, so we have to be patient. We should not go for revenge," the prime minister said, kicking off the day-long party meeting that re-elected her.

They session also met to adopt amendments to the party constitution to comply with the Election Commission's rules, which stipulate a mandatory registration of the party.

The party has until Saturday to hand the commission an amended constitution in line with the political reforms adopted during the two-year military-backed government of Fakhruddin Ahmed.

In a separate conference in Dhaka, former military dictator Hussein Muhammad Ershad was made life-long chairman of his Jatiya Party, a major ally of the ruling coalition.

"Please wish me well so that I can shoulder the party chairmanship until my last moments," Ershad told supporters.(dpa)