The European Union (EU) will send a four-member observer team to observe the 12th parliamentary polls, the Election Commission has said.
However, the observation team of the EU will stay in Bangladesh for two months from November 21 to January 21 next year during the polls.
“The European Union has informed the Election Commission of sending a 4-5 member observer team to observe the upcoming parliamentary polls in the country,”
additional secretary of the Election Commission (EC) Ashok Kumar Debnath told reporters at the NirbachanBhaban in the capital on Thursday.
“They will stay in the country in accordance with the election schedule,” he added.
EC officials said they would stay to observe the 12th National Parliament election of Bangladesh from November 21 to January 21. At this time, the four member delegation of observers will observe the voting of the polls.
They also said that they would submit a report after the election.
Meanwhile, the EU will not send its full team of observers to oversee the next general elections due to ‘budgetary constraints’.
“The European Union informed the Election Commission through email in September that they will send its observers to observe the upcoming national polls, but will not send its full-fledged observation team due to the fund constraints in the fiscal 2023-24,” the EC secretary told reporters.
The EC secretary said they have mentioned a ‘full-fledged’ team in the email. It will depend on the EU whether it sends a small team and local team in Bangladesh to observe the parliamentary polls as they have informed the commission to continue the communication with the EC.
Meanwhile, the EU also did not send any observers in the last two parliamentary polls held in 2014 and 2018. They sent observers during the 2008 elections.
On July 9 this year, a six-member Election Exploratory Mission (ExM) of the EU delegation visited Bangladesh to observe the political situation and to know whether the country's election atmosphere is good.
They held meetings with high officials of government bodies including the foreign ministry, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Bangladesh Police, Ministry of Chattogram Hill Tracts Affairs, the attorney general, home affairs, information ministry, and law ministry.
During these meetings, the EU mainly wanted to know about the possibility of violence before the upcoming national election, poll time security measures and the overall human rights situation in Bangladesh.
