The Election Commission (EC) has said the European Union was welcome to send a team to assess the pre-polls situation in Bangladesh.
But it has made it clear of not going ‘out of the way to invite anyone’.
The EC statement came after a European Union delegation requested it to invite an eight-strong team of EU experts, who plan to visit Bangladesh in September to review the pre-poll situation.
The 10th parliamentary elections are supposed to be held sometime between October and January, going by the Constitutional requirements.
EC Secretary Muhammed Sadique told bdnews24.com: “We invite such organisations (like the EU) at the time of election. We’ve no objection to their coming before the election to review the pre-election situation. We always welcome them.”
“But they have sought a formal invitation (for the pre-poll observation),” he said, insisting that it would not be possible.
“We’ve many development partners. We can’t now invite anyone in particular. All of them will be invited after the election schedule is announced,” he said.
EC spokesperson SM Asaduzzaman said international observers come to Bangladesh before every parliament election to review the pre-poll situation.
During their stay, they speak to political party leaders, members of the civil society, and EC officials.
Sadique, however, ruled out any misunderstanding that may arise because of the EC’s inability to formally invite the EU team now.
Meanwhile, the ruling Awami League and the opposition BNP are not budging from their conflicting positions over a poll-time government.
The Awami League insists the election will be held under the government it leads by virtue of a constitutional provision that has scrapped the caretaker system.
But the BNP is stridently demanding the restoration of the caretaker system and has threatened to boycott the polls unless that happens.
The international community has already got into efforts to break the stalemate.
United Nations Under-Secretary General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco visited Bangladesh in December and held talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia, the Chief Election Commissioner and civil society members.
Foreign ministry Director General Sadia Muna Tasnim had said Taranco led the first delegation from any international agency to discuss the forthcoming elections with all concerned in Bangladesh.
She also said Taranco’s visit was just the beginning and more delegations from the United Nations, the Commonwealth and the European Union would follow him.
The EC spokesperson said 673 representatives from 17 countries and international organisations had visited Bangladesh to observe the last national election.
Source: Bd news24
