Dhaka, Dec. 4 -- Leaders of the eight-party Islamist coalition yesterday declared the upcoming national election a turning point for Bangladesh, urging supporters to mobilise nationwide and vowing that voters will choose what they described as "Islam-minded patriotic forces" to lead the country.

Addressing a large divisional rally at Rangpur's Collectorate Eidgah, Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer A.T.M. Azharul Islam said Bangladesh had suffered from "decades of corruption" under those who held power over the past 54 years.

He alleged that "Tk lakh crore" had been siphoned abroad in the last 15 years, claiming that a corruption-free administration could transform Bangladesh within five years. "If honest leadership is established, Banglades...