Dhaka - Bangladesh returned to election campaigning Monday,. with nearly 2,500 candidates competing in December 29 polls to lead the South Asian nation back toward democracy after nearly two years of army-led emergency rule.

With the full slate of parties and alliances filing candidates for 300 parliamentary seats, earlier doubts about whether the elections would be held have been swept aside.

"The uncertainty has apparently gone, but the challenges for future governance still remain," political analyst Ataur Rahman said.

Holding a credible election and conducting a smooth transition to democracy depend upon the sensibility of the election commission, the government and the political parties, he added.

There were earlier doubts over the stalled elections ever since the army-backed government of Fakhruddin Ahmed took over in early January 2007 in the wake of political turmoil.

The process suffered setbacks after several politicians, including two former prime ministers, Sheikh Hasina Wajed and Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, were detained under tough emergency powers rule that kept basic rights suspended.

The government had pledged to bring qualitative change to the country's politics, removing the worst and most corrupt elements from the political scene.

"But all its efforts seem a futile exercise," said Ataur, who teaches political science at Dhaka University.

The Daily Star newspaper vented frustration over the return of many corrupt politicians in the election scene.

"The hopes that the nation have entertained about a fresh new start in politics have apparently taken a beating," it said in an editorial Monday.

The election commission had to reschedule the polls, originally due in January 2007, several times to accommodate demands of the political parties.

Most recently, the commission postponed the date from December 18 to December 29, to accommodate the demands of the BNP-led alliance of Zia, who had threatened to boycott the elections.

Two major political alliances, lad by the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, are still in negotiations over sharing parliamentary seats.

The deal-making is expected to continue until December 11, the last day for withdrawal of nomination papers.

"We have almost completed our tasks with the alliance partners on seat sharing," said Zia, who leads a BNP-led alliance of four right-wing parties.

The other main contender, led by the Awami League and former premier Wajed, was making seat-sharing arrangements within its 15-party left-leaning alliance. (dpa)