The US Department of State has called on the authorities concerned to uphold their responsibility for ensuring free, fair, and non-violent city corporations polls.
Acting Spokesperson of the US Department of State, Marie Harf, made the call during a regular press briefing at Washington, DC on April 16.
Replying to a query, she said: “So we welcome the announcement of municipal elections. We have called on those who are administering them and participating in the elections to uphold their responsibility to ensure they are free, fair, and non-violent.”
“We have encouraged the Government of Bangladesh and the elections commission to protect citizens’ rights to free expression and association during the campaign, again, to ensure free, fair election on polling day.”
Mentioning that the US authorities also expect all parties to follow democratic practices, she said: “Really, there could be no room here for violence or intimidation. That’s the message we’ve been sending to the Bangladeshis as they go forward here.”
Asked about arrest of a councillor candidate and divided rule on bail of a BNP-blessed mayoral candidate in Dhaka South City Corporation, Mirza Abbas, she said, “I hadn’t seen those reports today. Let me check with our team and see if there’s more to say about this.”
Source: Dhaka Tribune
