A joint Pre-Election Assessment Mission from the United States held a meeting with foreign minister AK Abdul Momen at his Segun Bagicha office on the first day of their activities in Dhaka to learn about the country’s preparations for the upcoming general election.
‘We want a free and fair election. We briefed them about the measures taken so far to make the upcoming national election a transparent one,’ Momen told reporters after the meeting with the six-member delegation from the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute.
He said that they had also informed the mission that the government had developed a fair electoral management system and explained why the election held in 2014 was uncontested and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party got a few seats in 2018.
‘We will not intimidate anyone during voting. Election management has now been made more transparent. Moreover, we have a biometric voters’ list to check fake votes,’ Momen said about the meeting with the pre-election assessment mission.
The foreign minister said that the US team just listened to them but did not give any advice regarding the election scheduled for January.
He said that it required cooperation from all parties to make sure the election was free of violence.
The US delegation is scheduled to hold separate meetings with the ruling Awami League, opposition in parliament Jatiya Party, and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, among others, today.
‘The international community plays an important role in supporting Bangladesh as it prepares for the elections. We are here to listen to a variety of actors and show our support for a transparent and inclusive electoral process,’ said Karl F Inderfurth, co-chair of the delegation, in a statement.
The joint IRI and NDI pre-election assessment mission arrived in Bangladesh to follow electoral preparations and conduct an independent and impartial assessment, according to a press release issued by the NDI earlier on the day.
The six-member delegation will meet a diverse group of election stakeholders, including government officials, political party leaders, election authorities, civil society, and others, from October 8 to 12, it said.
The delegation is co-chaired by Karl F Inderfurth, a former assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs, and Bonnie Glick, a former deputy USAID administrator.
The delegates also include Maria Chin Abdullah, a former member of the House of Representatives, Malaysia; Jamil Jaffer, former associate counsel to the president of the United States, Manpreet Singh Anand, NDI regional director for Asia-Pacific; and Johanna Kao, IRI senior director, Asia-Pacific Division, according to the release.
‘This joint pre-election assessment mission demonstrates our interest and support for democracy in Bangladesh,’ the NDI press release quoted Bonnie Glick as saying.
‘We look forward to meeting with key stakeholders and to provide independent, impartial, and timely analysis as the country heads to the polls,’ she said.
The delegation will conduct its assessment in accordance with the laws of Bangladesh and consistent with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, which was signed in 2005 at the United Nations, the release said.
Following the conclusion of its activities, the delegation will release a statement of its key findings, an analysis of the pre-election environment, and practical recommendations to enhance the credibility of the process and citizen confidence in the elections.
NDI and IRI are nonpartisan, nongovernmental organisations that support and strengthen democratic institutions and practices worldwide.
The institutes have collectively observed more than 200 elections in more than 50 countries over the past 30 years, according to the NDI release.
The foreign minister claimed that nothing was discussed about the US visa policy and requested that all concerned ignore ‘rumours’ about the issue.
On September 20, the European Union ambassador to Dhaka, Charles Whiteley, informed the chief election commissioner by a letter that a fully-fledged EU Election Observation Mission would not be sent for the forthcoming general election in Bangladesh.
The decision was conveyed following a visit by the EU’s independent exploratory mission, at the invitation of the Election Commission, from July 6–22 to collect factual information.
New Age
