The European Parliament has announced that it will not observe the upcoming national election in Bangladesh.

“The European Parliament will not observe this electoral process and consequently will neither comment on the process nor on the results that will be announced afterwards. Moreover, there will be no European Union Election Observation Mission,” the EP said in a statement in Brussels yesterday.

The European Union's top diplomat in Dhaka indicated that the decision was taken due to “resource constraints”.

“No individual Member of the European Parliament [MEP] has been mandated to observe or comment on this electoral process on its behalf,” the co-chairs of the EP's Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group said in the statement.

“Any statements made by Members of the European Parliament on these elections therefore do not represent in any way the view of the European Parliament or the European Union.”

The statement was issued by MEPs David McAllister and Linda McAvan. The EU Delegation to Bangladesh also issued the same statement yesterday.

The EP stated its position on the election in its resolution of November 15, 2018. It hoped that the December 30 polls would be “peaceful, transparent and participatory so that citizens can express a genuine political choice”.

The EP called upon the political forces to refrain from any violence or instigation of violence during the electoral period.

The EU last month informed the Bangladesh Election Commission that it would not send its full-fledged election observer mission. It said only two “electoral experts” would be deployed.

As per that decision, electoral experts David Noel Ward and Eirini-Maria Gounari arrived in Bangladesh on Tuesday. The two will be staying here till January 15 next year.

Asked why the European Parliament decided not to observe the national election, which would be participated by all political parties, EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Rensje Teerink said the European Parliament sends a very small number of observers only when the EU deploys a fully-fledged observation mission. 

“As this time the EU does not send an Election Observer Mission; the European Parliament is not sending observers. From the EU side, we see a growing demand from partner countries to have an EU Election Observer Mission. In the context of constrained resources, the EU has to make a difficult choice on where to deploy,” she told The Daily Star.

Earlier, the EU had cancelled sending election observer missions to Bangladesh in 2006 when the election was postponed amid violence and anarchy, and in 2014 when more than half of the 300 parliamentary seats were won uncontested.

EU AMBASSADOR MEETS ECs

“We hope a good contest and free and fair election will be held,” Ambassador Rensje Teerink told reporters after meeting the election commissioners at the Nirbachan Bhaban yesterday.

Teerink was accompanied by the two electoral experts of the EU. The experts, David Noel Ward and Erini-Maria Gourani, arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday to monitor the situation before and after the national election.

“We had a good meeting with the CEC and his colleagues,” she told reporters.

EC Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed at another briefing said the expert team expressed satisfaction over the atmosphere.

Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today thanked Dr Kamal Hossain for realising the "mistake" that Jatiya Oikyafront had made by incorporating Jamaat-e-Islami in the recent 11th parliamentary election.

"I would like to thank Dr Kamal Hossain for realising their political mistake," Minister Hasan said while talking to reporters at the Secretariat.

Oikyafront Convener Dr Kamal yesterday said it was a mistake on the part of his party Gonoforum to have joined the December 30 polls with Jamaat leaders contesting under the alliance banner.

Read more

Taking Jamaat men along to polls a mistake

Hasan Mahmud further said that the JOF will make another mistake if their elected candidates do not take the oath to join the 11th Parliament.

"I hope they will realise it and join the parliament by taking the oath of office," said the minister.

"A party is trying to drag the country backwards. I think no conspiracy against the country will work," he said.

Responding to a question about the recently enacted Digital Security Act, he said that the government will work on it so that no panic remains among the journalists about the act.

"I always welcome all types of criticism. When I was the Environment Minister, English daily The Daily Star published several reports criticising the ministry, even they published cartoons. But, we gave them an environment award. Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA) was also awarded although they had criticised the ministry," said the minister.

Mentioning that criticism speeds up anyone's journey, the minister said, "But, blind and one-sided criticism is not useful. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has introduced the culture of welcoming any criticism."

"This time, Awami League has pledged that the country's villages will be turned into cities. Coordinated efforts are required to move the country forward. Mass media also play a vital role in this effort," said Hasan Mahmud.

He also said that a huge revolution has been made not only in the country's online media but also in print, electronic and social media.

"Around 8 crore people are using social media," he mentioned.

Stern actions will be taken against persons responsible for banking scams and the Bangladesh Bank will be given full autonomy to run the banking sector, Jatiya Oikyafront said in its manifesto.

Mahmudur Rahman Manna, convener of Nagorik Oikya and a leader of the Oikyafront, read out the manifesto in a press briefing at a hotel in Dhaka today.

Manna said corruption during the current government’s tenure will be investigated and the persons found involved will be brought to justice.

The Anti -Corruption Commission will be made truly independent, the alliance said in its election promises.

The provision to get prior government permission to arrest civil servants will be scrapped, Oikyafront leader Manna said.

He further said effective measures will be taken to stop flight of capital and money already laundered will be brought back.

No on-going projects will be cancelled but a committee will be formed to review the projects taken hurriedly in the last two years, he said.

Actions will be taken against share market scamsters, he added.

WHAT IS JATIYA OIKYAFRONT?

The Jatiya Oikyafront is an alliance of the BNP, Dr Kamal Hossain-led Jatiya Oikya Prokriya, ASM Abdur Rob’s Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, and Mahmudur Rahman Manna’s Nagorik Oikya.

The Oikyafront was formed on October 13 with the demands of a national election under a neutral government after dissolution of parliament and release of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail.

WHAT ARE OIKYAFRONT’S AGENDAS?

Formed with major political oppositions to ruling alliance, the Oikyafront includes ruling Awami League’s arch opposition BNP.

Currently, they are campaigning with a seven-point charter including freedom for BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and election under a nonpartisan government.

WHAT ARE OIKYAFRONT’S DEMANDS?

The 11-point goal announced by the alliance includes ensuring checks and balances in the state power, decentralisation of administration, freeing MPs from the stringent restrictions imposed on them under article 70 of the constitution, formation of a constitutional commission to make appointments to all constitutional and other important posts and full independence of the judiciary.

The alliance also announced a seven-point demand, including the one for holding the next parliamentary election under a nonpartisan government, dissolution of parliament before the polls and reconstitution of the Election Commission.