Dhaka, Dec. 30 -- The first act of the decisive post-July Uprising parliamentary election has unfolded with almost festival-like energy.

Across the nation, candidates have filed their nomination papers, and the halls of the Election Commission resonated with anticipation, debate, and the charged energy of campaigners imbued with hope.

Over 2,500 aspirants are now officially in the race, averaging more than eight contenders for every seat -- a crowded field for the Feb 12 polls that promises a campaign unlike any in recent memory.

For the first time in three decades, the Awami League -- the country's long-dominant political force -- will be absent from the ballot. Ousted in last year's upheaval and barred from political activity, the pa...