EU Plans To Deploy 150 Observers For Bangladesh’s National Election

The European Union (EU) has expressed interest in deploying 150 observers to Bangladesh for the upcoming national election, Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said on Monday.

He noted that a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is being planned with the Election Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this regard. Speaking to reporters after a meeting with the EU pre-election expert team at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital, Ahmed said the EU delegation has already submitted a draft MoU, which the Commission will review before proceeding with its signing.

The EC secretary clarified that the observers would not all arrive at once. “They will come in phases after the announcement of the election schedule,” he explained.

According to him, the EU team also sought clarifications on whether observers would be permitted inside polling stations and allowed to remain present during the vote count.

Currently, a seven-member EU mission led by senior election expert Riccardo Chellery is visiting Bangladesh from 18 September to 7 October to assess the pre-election environment ahead of the next general election, expected in early February.