The European Union will not send a fully-fledged election observation mission for the upcoming national polls.

It communicated its decision to the Election Commission through a letter to the chief election commissioner on Wednesday.

"Based on the recommendations of the exploratory mission -- and taking into consideration the budget for EU Election Observation Missions for 2023/2024 -- High Representative Josep Borrell has decided not to deploy a fully-fledged EU Election Observation Mission," reads the EU letter.

"The High Representative's decision reflects the fact that, at the present time, it is not sufficiently clear whether the necessary conditions will be met at the point in time when the elections take place," reads the letter written by EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley.

The Daily Star has a copy of the letter.

"Preparations for Bangladesh's national election will not be affected by EU delegation arriving or not."

— State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam

The exploratory mission visited Bangladesh on July 6-22 to assess the advisability, usefulness, and feasibility of a fully-fledged election observation mission.

Whiteley, in the letter, also said the EU was exploring "other options to accompany the electoral process should these be welcome on the part of the Election Commission and Government of Bangladesh. I will be in touch with you as soon as possible in this regard".

The letter, however, did not elaborate on the phrases "necessary conditions" or "other options". The Daily Star could not reach the ambassador for comments. 

The letter added that the EU will continue to encourage all efforts to ensure that the elections are free, fair, peaceful, and participatory.

Asked if the EU expressed any concern over the lead-up to the election, EC Secretary Jahangir Alam told reporters yesterday that the letter did not mention anything about it.

He said the EU ambassador sent the letter to the CEC through the foreign ministry.

Meanwhile, after an event yesterday, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam told reporters, "We will share details as soon as we are informed.

"Preparations for Bangladesh's national election will not be affected by EU delegation arriving or not."

The development comes amid uncertainty over the polls being participatory.

The ruling Awami League and opposition BNP are at odds over the polls-time administration.

The AL says the election will be held under the current government as per the constitution, while the opposition BNP demands a caretaker government, saying the elections under the current administration will not be free and fair.

The US and many other Western countries have repeatedly been stressing the need for free and fair elections.

The US even went on to impose visa restrictions on those it would deem involved in vote-rigging or intimidation.

On September 14, the European Parliament adopted a resolution expressing concerns over the "deteriorating human rights situation" in Bangladesh. It asked the government to "guarantee the conditions for free, fair and participatory elections in 2024".

The EU has sent polls observation missions to 15 countries, including Guatemala, Liberia, the Maldives, Nigeria, Paraguay, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe, between 2021 and 2023, according to the EU website.

For the 2018 polls in Bangladesh, the EU did not send a full mission, citing budgetary constraints. It, however, sent a fully-fledged mission to observe polls in Pakistan that year.

The last time the EU sent a full election observation mission to Bangladesh was in 2008. At least 150 EU observers monitored the polls then.

"It is quite shocking that the EU has decided not to send an election observation team. This may be used by other foreign election observation teams as an excuse to not send observers," a diplomatic source said.