The prospect of Bangladesh holding its first democratic elections in seven years hung in the balance Thursday after the government refused to meet demands from a key party. The elections are planned for December 18, but one of the country’s two main political camps, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), says more time is needed to restore democratic rule to the country. It wants a state of emergency, imposed almost two years ago, lifted and issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the government, which expired Wednesday evening, to meet its demands, saying it would otherwise boycott the polls. Full Story