57 election observers from 16 countries expected for Feb 12 polls

At least 16 countries have accepted Bangladesh’s invitation to send a total of 57 election observers for the country’s 13th general election and the referendum on the July Reform Charter, both scheduled to be held simultaneously on February 12.

According to the Chief Adviser’s press wing on Friday, the bilateral observers will join several hundred international monitors from the European Union, the Commonwealth, and various global organisations working on democratic governance and human rights.

Among the bilateral delegations, Malaysia will send the largest team with 14 observers, followed by Türkiye with 12. The Malaysian delegation will be led by Ramlan Bin Dato Harun, Chairman of the Malaysian Election Commission, while the Turkish team—comprising several members of parliament—will be headed by Mehmet Vakur Erkul, a former Turkish ambassador to Bangladesh.

Other countries confirming the deployment of election observers include Indonesia (5), Japan (4), Pakistan (3), Bhutan (2), Maldives (2), Sri Lanka (1), the Philippines (2), Jordan (2), Iran (1), Georgia (2), Russia (2), Kyrgyzstan (2), Uzbekistan (1), and South Africa (2).

Notable observers include Pakistan’s Chief Election Commissioner Mohammad Jalal Sikandar Sultan and Bhutan’s Chief Election Commissioner Deki Pema.

Lamiya Morshed, Senior Secretary and Principal Coordinator for SDGs Affairs, said close to 400 election observers have confirmed participation so far, with additional countries expected to finalise their delegations soon.

Former Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo will lead the 14-member Commonwealth Observer Group, which also includes Jeffrey Salim Waheed, former deputy foreign minister of Maldives; David John Francis, former foreign minister of Sierra Leone; and Ras Adiba Mohd Radzi, a former Malaysian senator.

The European Union Election Observation Mission (EOM) will be headed by Ivars Ijabs, Chief Observer and Latvian Member of the European Parliament. The mission will also include at least seven other MEPs: Lukas Mandl (Austria), Loránt Vincze (Romania), Tomáš Zdechovský (Czechia), Leire Pajín (Spain), Şerban Dimitrie Sturdza (Romania), Michael McNamara (Ireland), and Catarina Vieira (Netherlands).

Nearly 2,000 candidates—representing more than 50 political parties along with independent contenders—are contesting 300 parliamentary seats. The general election will take place alongside a nationwide referendum on the July reform charter.