Bangladesh’s elections weren’t free and fair, US repeats

The United States has again stated that the elections in Bangladesh haven’t been free and fair. Spokesperson for the US Department of State Matthew Miller said this in response to a question at the briefing of the state department on yesterday, Thursday.

It was asked during the briefing, what steps will the United States take in response to the reported sham election in Bangladesh involving the undermining of democracy and imprisonment of thousands opposition members as the United States mentioned in their statement, that the election was not free and fair.

In response, Miller stated, “So, we do remain concerned by the arrest of thousands of political opposition members and by the reports of irregularities on election day. We share the view with other observers that these elections were not free and fair. We regret that not all parties participated, and we condemn the violence that took place during elections and in the months leading up to it. We are now encouraging the Government of Bangladesh to credibly and transparently investigate the reports of violence, to hold perpetrators accountable, and we all urge all parties to reject political violence."

In another question, it was asked, “So, when you say that the election results in Bangladesh were not credible, free, or fair, does this imply that the US will not recognise prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s fourth straight term?” Miller replied to that saying "No, no.”