Security, participation, level playing field to be closely scrutinised: EU chief election observer

Security, participation and a level playing field will be the three central issues to be observed with particular attention in the 13th national parliamentary election of Bangladesh, the chief election observer of the Election Observation Mission (EOM) of the European Union, Ivars Ijabs has said.

He made the remarks while exchanging views with journalists at the Sylhet Press Club on Friday afternoon. Later in the evening, he addressed another meeting with journalists at the district press club.

During the discussion at the Sylhet Press Club, Ijabs outlined various aspects of the EU Election Observation Mission and sought journalists’ first-hand, field-level insights into the electoral process.

Addressing the journalists, he said the mission would assess three core issues: the extent to which citizens are able to participate freely and safely in the election; the inclusiveness of the process, including the participation of women and minority groups; and whether equal opportunities and facilities are ensured for all candidates.

Stating that the mission has come to Bangladesh to strengthen political, economic, social and cultural ties, Ijabs said, “Our election observation mission is an important step, and we see this election as a significant milestone in Bangladesh’s history. Our mission follows an internationally recognised methodology, under which our role is strictly limited to observation, we do not participate in the political process.”

“As the election is very close, I will not comment on any alleged rule violations by political parties or on other related issues. We will issue our preliminary statement on 14 February, immediately after the election, and a detailed report will be presented a few months later. The mission officially began one month ago, and our long-term observer teams are already monitoring election preparations in Dhaka and other regions,” he added.

The EU EOM chief observer further said that the mission’s observers are in regular contact with key local stakeholders involved in the electoral process, including the election commission, government authorities, candidates, domestic observers and various non-governmental organisations.

“From tomorrow, an additional 90 short-term observers will arrive from Europe. They will monitor the final days of the campaign, polling and vote counting. This is not only a European union mission, three important partner countries, Switzerland, Norway and Canada, are also participating. Observers from these countries will be deployed across different constituencies, cities and rural areas of the country.”

Emphasising that there is no scope for external interference in the election process, Ijabs said, “Our team includes a wide range of experts, including legal specialists, election analysts and media analysts, who are monitoring both traditional and social media. However, we are not intervening in the process in any way, nor are we providing advice to any party.”

“We seek to maintain a long-term relationship with Bangladesh. We are interested in expanding trade relations and investing in green energy and climate change mitigation. For us, democratic processes are fundamental to this relationship,” Ijabs stressed.