The Election Commission (EC) is not losing sleep over the decision of the European Union, the United States and the Commonwealth to not observe general elections boycotted by the Opposition.
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad will depend on the local monitoring organisations and journalists to monitor the Jan 5 polls.
Asked whether the elections will be questionable if no foreign observers come, he said on Monday, “There is no cause for alarm about these issues.”
“You will see and say, you will show the people of the country. Don’t we have you?” he said addressing the mediapersons.
He told them, “Others will be on the field as they [foreign observers] have decided to not come. We have local observers and you all. You will show the people of the country how the election has been held.”
The main opposition, BNP has claimed that foreign countries and international organisations have rejected the upcoming parliamentary polls by deciding to not send any election observers.
Meanwhile, ruling Awami League has said that the situation will not call the credibility of the election into question.
The EU and US have already said they would not send any election observers. The Commonwealth has also in a letter to the EC said they would do the same, said one of the election commissioners.
CEC Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad. File Photo
CEC Ahmad on Monday said, “It would have been better if some foreign organisations came and observed the election. However, both them and us don’t monitor elections in many countries. But they work as a catalyst.”
He said every organisation had its own policy and they followed it to decide whether they would send election observers.
EC officials have said many countries including Japan, Russia, Nepal and the Maldives and international organisations including OIC, Association of World Election Bodies and SAARC Secretariat have said they would send observers.
There were 585 observers from 17 countries and organisations during the ninth parliamentary polls. Of them, over 150 were from EU, 20 from Commonwealth and four were from the US embassy in Dhaka.
Also, around 160,000 observers were from over 75 local monitoring organisations in the last elections.
Source: Bd news24
