Chief Observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Bangladesh, Ivars Ijabs, on Thursday described the country’s twin polls — the national election and referendum — as a significant moment for its democracy.
“I think this is truly a big day for Bangladesh’s democracy,” he told reporters at Siddheswari Girls’ College on New Bailey Road after observing the opening of voting.
Ijabs said the EU observers are looking forward to witnessing “participatory, credible and trusted” elections at what he termed a historic moment for the country.
He added that the mission would continue monitoring voting across the country, including the counting of ballots at the end of the day.
The Chief Observer said he would provide further updates at 12:00pm after visiting Curzon Hall at Dhaka University.
The EU EOM has deployed 90 short-term observers (STOs) to monitor election-day proceedings in all 64 administrative districts. They are observing the opening of polling centres, voting, closing procedures, ballot counting and the tabulation of results.
“The short-term observers will be present in cities, towns and villages in almost every constituency. Their observations and reports throughout the day will be a critical element of our impartial and fact-based assessment of these historic elections,” Ijabs said.
In total, around 200 EU observers have been deployed across the country to contribute to the transparency of the elections.
Source: UNB
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
