The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin said that the European Union (EU) aims to witness an election in Bangladesh that aligns with international standards. The Election Commission (EC) is committed to this and is working impartially to ensure the election is free, fair, and credible.
He made the statement after meeting with a delegation led by EU Ambassador Michael Miller on Sunday at the Election Commission building in Agargaon, Dhaka, accompanied by the EC Secretary.
Regarding the meeting with the EU Ambassador, the CEC said, "They wanted to know our preparations for the upcoming election. We shared all the details with them. They also asked about the election budget, if funds are in place, and if there are any issues. We assured them there are no financial problems and that we've requested the budget from the government, but they (EU) are willing to assist us."
The meeting also discussed the assistance needed by the EC. The CEC said, "They wanted to know our requirements. We informed them that UNDP has already conducted a needs assessment, sent a team, and developed a project. They (EU) are willing to assist not only the Election Commission but also in the overall development of Bangladesh."
The CEC mentioned that discussions with the EU will continue and mutual exchanges of views will take place.
"They will hold a workshop next month, and both the EC Secretary and our representatives will attend. Civil society will also be present. We emphasized the need for training political party polling agents, voter education, and local observers," said the CEC.
The CEC stated that the EC is capable of training election officials, but help has been requested on how to train political party agents. They are ready to assist with voter education and the training of observers. If additional support is required, they are fully prepared to offer assistance.
What Miller said
The head of the European Union delegation, EU Ambassador Michael Miller, told the press that this was their second meeting with the Election Commission.
"We came to discuss and briefly learn about the work the Election Commission is currently doing, as Bangladesh is going through political changes and preparing for democratic elections."
He informed that three key messages were conveyed to the Election Commission today.
Miller said, "We conveyed three messages. First, the European Union is a strong partner of this country, and we stand by the country during this crucial time of change."
"Second, the EU wants to strengthen its partnership with Bangladesh in all areas, and we are here to support the interim government’s efforts to conduct the election as per the expectations of your citizens expressed last year."
"And the third message was that I told the Chief Election Commissioner that the European Union will support the conduct of elections in this country according to international standards."
In addition to offering assistance with expertise and skills, the EU also assured financial support.
The delegation also informed about the deployment of foreign observers.
OIC mission heads' meeting scheduled for Monday
The Election Commission (EC) will hold a meeting on Monday with the heads of the Bangladesh missions of the member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to discuss preparations for the 13th National Parliament elections.
The mission heads of Afghanistan, Algeria, Brunei Darussalam, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates have been invited to attend this meeting.
Bd-pratidin English/ Afia
