EU wants to see a free, inclusive and peaceful election

The European Union (EU) has stressed that the next national parliamentary election of Bangladesh should be free, transparent and inclusive. The EU, comprising 27 countries, has decided to send observers to the next election in Bangladesh.

This message was conveyed during a meeting held between a delegation of Awami League, led by the party's general secretary and road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader, and EU diplomats in Dhaka on Thursday morning. The seven-member EU delegation was led by the EU ambassador in Dhaka, Charles Whiteley.

Speaking to newspersons after the meeting, the AL general secretary Obaidul Quader said, EU wants to see an inclusive national parliamentary election in Bangladesh, reports BSS. He said that the meeting was held with EU in context of the coming election. EU wants all parties, including BNP, to take part in the election.

According to diplomatic sources, EU informed the meeting with AL that they would send observers to Bangladesh during the coming election. A budget has even been allocated for the purpose of sending election observers to Bangladesh and a few other countries. On behalf of the party, the Awami League delegation welcomed Brussels' decision to send an election observation team to Bangladesh.

The EU had not sent any team to observe the last election held in 2018. It has officially announced that no election observation mission would be sent to Bangladesh then.

During the meeting with the Awami League delegation, it was conveyed that the EU hoped the next election would be free, transparent, inclusive and peaceful. The Awami League delegation informed them of the prime minister's commitment in this regard.

A source at the meeting, on condition of anonymity, said that it had been asked what steps the government was taking to win the trust of the opposition regarding the election. On behalf of EU, it was said that the government should win the trust of the opposition parties so that the election would be free, transparent, peaceful and credible.

After the meeting, when asked about Awami League's reaction to EU's expectation concerning the election, Obaidul Quader told the media, "We clearly reiterated what prime minister Sheikh Hasina had said on Wednesday, that the next election would be credible, fair and free. Also, the election commission would play an authoritative role. The government would extend all cooperation to the election commission. Our words were no different than that of the prime minister. At the same time, we are preparing for the coming election."

On Wednesday a delegation led by the US state department counselor Dreck Chollet paid a courtesy call on the prime minister. At the time, the prime minister had said that the election commission was completely independent and so the next national parliamentary election would be free and neutral.

When asked if there had been any advice about bringing BNP to the next election, Obaidul Quader replied, "We do not take directives from anyone. Our constitution is our directive and we follow it. All election reforms that have been carried out in our country, have been done during the rule of prime minister Sheikh Hasina and at her initiative. A law was even passed in parliament regarding the elections."

Obaidul Quader said that BNP was always averse to dialogue. He said, "Actually BNP is not really interested in joining the election because they know Sheikh Hasina and her party Awami League will come to power again. BNP is following certain tactics in fear of defeat."

The road transport and bridges minister went on to say that it had been learnt that BNP was once again planning to topple the government by resorting to arson and militancy as it had tried in 2014-15. BNP was destroying the country's stability in the name of a movement. They are trying to create chaos and grab power."

Also present at the meeting were the Swedish ambassador Alexandra Berg von Linde, the German embassy's deputy head of mission Jan Janowski, French Ambassador Guillaume Audren de Kerdrel, Awami League presidium member Kazi Zafrullah, information and research secretary Selim Mahmud, AL office secretary Biplob Barua and the party's central committee member Mohammad A Arafat.