Dhaka - Bangladesh's election authorities Wednesday proposed the deployment of troops to help the civil administration maintain order during the December parliamentary polls slated to restore democracy in the country, officials said.

"The Election Commission planned deployment of the army troops a week ahead of the voting day to ensure election security," commission spokesman Humayun Kabir told reporters after a law and order review meeting with Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda.

Officials at the commission say the troops will be deployed to aid the civil administration to look after the pre- and post-election situation. The troops will be deployed throughout the month of December, they added.

The home ministry will take necessary measures to deploy the forces in line with the election commission's plan to ensure a free, fair and credible election slated for December 18, to be held under a relaxed state of emergency.

One of the major political parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, was still undecided whether to join the election. The party asked the government to meet its seven-point demands, including complete lifting of the state of emergency and withdrawal of graft cases against its top-ranking leaders now in jail.

On Tuesday, the military-backed government of Fakhruddin Ahmed warned political parties not to hold rallies and processions until November 27, from when the parties will be allowed to launch campaigns.

It also ordered law enforcers to take action against any such violations as a number of parties hold rallies and protests against the government, taking advantage of a relaxed state of emergency.

The government on November 3, a day after election schedules were announced, relaxed the state of emergency to allow parties to participate in the election campaign. It also called back the members of the forces from emergency duties across the country.

Bangladesh has been under a state of emergency since January 2007, when the military-backed caretaker government scrapped election plans and vowed to clean up the country's notoriously corrupt politics. (dpa)