DHAKA (AFP) -- Bangladesh's main opposition parties announced Wednesday they would boycott national elections scheduled for January 22, alleging the polls would not be fair.

"We are not going to participate in the national elections," said Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina Wajed, speaking on behalf of an alliance of 14 opposition parties and reneging on an earlier pledge to take part in the polls.

She said President Iajuddin Ahmed was "illegally" holding the post of interim government chief "and he wants to hold elections without a correct voter list".

"We cannot accept this unfair election," she said.

Since the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government stepped down at the end of October, the opposition has demanded a string of reforms it says are necessary for the elections to be free and fair.

The opposition alliance accused the BNP of trying to rig the elections by appointing party loyalists to key positions in the temporary administration and election commission.

The Awami League said on December 24 that it would take part in the elections after repeated strikes, protests and blockades that caused massive disruption across the country and left at least 35 people dead.

The party had earlier objected to the voter list, saying that it contained 14 million fake names. But the caretaker government had agreed to use an updated version of the 2001 voter list rather than the controversial new list.

Reacting to the announcement, the BNP accused the Awami League of attempting to sabotage the elections.

"We are surprised by their indecision. They are making trouble in the election process but we will participate and we are sure the election will be held on time," said former BNP minister Handaker Mosharraf Hossain.

The Awami League, however, said the decision to boycott the polls was taken after the package of reforms agreed with the caretaker government last month was not implemented.

"We had the expectation that our package of reforms would be implemented, but it did not happen," said party leader Obaidul Kader, without elaborating.

The country's third largest party also announced last week that it would boycott the elections.

The Jatiya Party said it would not participate after its leader, Hussain Mohammad Ershad, the country's former military dictator, had his nomination barred due to a conviction for squandering government funds.