US wants effective measures to ensure fair elections
The US expects effective measures from the government to ensure a free, fair and neutral election. At the same time, the US has also called for ensuring a peaceful election. They have stressed on prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s role in ensuring these.
The US delegation has discussed with the prime minister as well as other ministers of the government and the rights activists last Thursday. The expectations of the US delegation came up during these meetings, relevant sources said.
US under secretary for civilian security, democracy and human rights, Uzra Zeya led the US delegation. She was accompanied by assistant secretary of state for south and central Asian affairs Donald Lu during her three-day visit to Bangladesh.
Apart from holding talks with the top echelons of the government, the US delegation also met with rights activists, labour organisations and representatives of ethnic minorities on the last day of the visit on Thursday.
In the meetings, the US delegation inquired about the capabilities of the relevant state agencies in holding a fair general election. The US delegation also tried to understand whether a new organisation or a reform was needed to make all the relevant government organisations fully capable, several sources present in these meetings, told Prothom Alo.
Bangladesh Centre For Governance Studies (CGS) executive director Zillur Rahman said while evaluating the state organisations relevant to the election in the meeting with the US delegation said, "The Election Commission hasn’t come to this point overnight. All the flaws that are coming up now are results of political interventions over a long time. Therefore, it is not possible to hold a fair and free election without reform of these organisations. And without that, it will not be possible to sort out the other problems of the country either."
The impact of the new US visa policy was also discussed in the meetings. The US delegation sought opinions from the rights activists regarding the upcoming national polls and the possibilities of a consensus between the political parties. They also discussed labour rights and the relevant situation in the country.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, CGS executive director, Zillur Rahman said, “The issues that the US delegation raised during this tour reflects their attitude toward Bangladesh. They don’t want to discuss with Bangladesh at the mediation of India or any other country. Rather, they are independently holding talks with Bangladesh. There are chances of increased pressure from the US if their expectations are not realised.
A rights activist stressed on political consensus among the parties in the talk with the US delegation. Speaking regarding that on condition of anonymity, that person said, “The ruling party and the opposition both are claiming that they want a fair election. The adoption of the new visa policy despite that, indicates that there is a lack of confidence about holding a free and fair poll in Bangladesh. Therefore, it is important now to bring back that confidence.”
The rights activist further said, “Everyone wants to be ensured that the polls will not be like the previous two parliamentary elections this time. There should be discussions to decide how the elections can be conducted in a fair and peaceful environment."
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association’s (BELA) chief executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan also met with the delegation.
She said, “Everything in a country, from protecting the environment to ensuring people’s rights, depends on accountability. So, a fair and peaceful election should be our top priority.”