Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said that the foreign missions in Bangladesh had violated the rules by enrolling their local staff as ‘foreign observers’. “I don’t know how it happened. I think they are aware of the code of conduct and rules that Bangladeshis working in foreign missions cannot be considered international observers,” he said on Friday, a day ahead of the Dhaka city corporation elections.
The question came as the Election Commission has registered Bangladeshi staff members of 10 diplomatic missions as foreign observers, drawing flaks. According to the election guidelines, Bangladeshi officials of the foreign missions or international organisations shall be accredited as local elections observers.
However, of the total 74 foreign observers on an EC list, 28 were found to be Bangladeshis working in various foreign missions. Former election commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain told the media that it was a ‘mistake’ to register Bangladeshis as foreign observers.
The foreign ministry in a letter to the missions asked them not to include their local employees who are Bangladeshi citizens as part of the election observer teams. Bangladesh Post obtained a copy of the letter. “The ministry understands that certain missions are forming teams of election observers to visit different polling booths on the day of the poll. In this connection, the ministry would like to point out that according to the ‘Guidelines for Foreign Election Observer 2018’ no local employee of a foreign mission having Bangladeshi nationality is eligible to observe the elections as an international observer,” read the letter.
“Therefore, it would be deeply appreciated if esteemed diplomatic missions in Dhaka do not include their local employees who are Bangladeshi nationals in teams observing the upcoming Dhaka City Corporation elections.” The government and the ruling Awami League earlier expressed displeasure over the activities of the foreign diplomats accusing them of interfering into the Bangladesh’s internal matters.
The foreign minister termed it ‘unfortunate’ that different missions employ their Bangladeshi staff as international observer. “This is the violation of law. They should be responsible and they should follow code of conduct,” he said, adding that “EC knows this. And the diplomatic missions should also take the responsibility. They cannot violate our system, our rules”.
