‘US will be watching Bangladesh’s elections closely’

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price speaks at the daily briefing, at the State Department in Washington, DC, US, February 25, 2022. File photo: Reuters/Nicholas Kamm

The US will be watching Bangladesh’s next parliamentary elections closely and supports constructive actions for a genuine electoral process that is peaceful and transparent.

“We welcome the words of Sheikh Hasina and her government that they want free and fair elections. We welcome those words but most importantly we are going to be watching that those words are ultimately matched with corresponding actions,” US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said during a press briefing yesterday.

He said the US looks forward to better understanding how Bangladesh government will work to ensure that the elections are carried out the way they should be, in a manner that is genuine, transparent and peaceful.

In response to a question, Ned Price said the next parliamentary elections are a bit away but the US supports constructive actions that Bangladesh can take ahead of the polls to carry out a genuine electoral process.

He said they hear the incidents of violence, intimidation, harassment of politicians, independent voices, of opposition party members and raised concerns about those.

He said the US ambassador in Bangladesh is doing an extraordinary job, he stands up for values that are core of the US — human rights, democracy, freedom, and openness.