US team hold talks with FM: Procedures of fair polls in Bangladesh discussed

Diplomatic Correspondent  :
The visiting US pre-election observer team has sought to know how the government is going to hold a free and fair election scheduled in early January next year.

Following their inquiry, the Foreign Ministry has said that the government wants to set an example by holding free and fair election.

Just after a meeting with the delegation of the joint International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) pre-election assessment mission at the foreign ministry, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen made the remarks to the journalists on Sunday.

The visiting team did not ask for anything about the caretaker government or election-time government, he said.

“No discussion was held about election time government. We have told them that the election will be held as per the constitution.

There is nothing about election-time government in the constitution,” Dr Momen said.

“They (US team) are all matured people. They have come to assess the situation of free and fair election.

They wanted to know what steps we have taken to hold a free and fair election. They don’t have any opinion. They have only wanted to know how the free and fair election will be held.

We have told them that violence takes place in elections,” he said.

The foreign minister said, “We will hold a free, fair and credible election.

We want to set an example where violence does not take place.

But everything does not depend on us. A spontaneous participation of all parties and opinions is essential. Some are talking about the boycott of election.

We want the participation of all. The party which has popularity will win the election and form the government.”

In reply to a question whether the visiting team has talked about the participatory polls, he said, “They have said nothing about it. We haven’t any talks on it. However, we want all parties to take part. But we don’t force anyone for it.”

Asked about whether the government will take initiative to bring all parties to election, he said, “We welcome those parties that want to take part in election. It is their decision whether to take part or not.”

About vote rigging, he said, “We don’t force anyone to cast votes or compel voters to vote for any particular party. We want that they will cast votes willingly. We have created such environment.”

In reply to a question about US sanctions, he said, “For God’s sake, don’t destroy your sleep thinking of those (rumours).”

Meanwhile, National Democratic Institute in a joint statement on its website on Sunday read: the six-member delegation will meet with a diverse group of election stakeholders including government officials, political party leaders, election authorities, civil society, and others from October 8 to 12.

The delegation is co-chaired by Karl F. Inderfurth, Former Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs and Bonnie Glick, Former Deputy USAID Administrator; and includes Maria Chin Abdullah, Former Member of the House of Representatives, Malaysia; Jamil Jaffer, Former Associate Counsel to the President of the United States; Manpreet Singh Anand, NDI Regional Director for Asia-Pacific; and Johanna Kao, IRI Senior Director, Asia-Pacific Division.

“This joint pre-election assessment mission demonstrates our interest and support for democracy in Bangladesh,” said Bonnie Glick. “We look forward to meeting with key stakeholders and to provide independent, impartial, and timely analysis as the country heads to the polls.”

“The international community plays an important role in supporting Bangladesh as it prepares for the elections,” said Karl F. Inderfurth. “We are here to listen to a variety of actors and show our support for a transparent and inclusive electoral process,” he said.

The delegation will conduct its assessment in accordance with the laws of Bangladesh and consistent with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation which was signed in 2005 at the United Nations.

Following the conclusion of its activities, the delegation will release a statement of its key findings, analysis of the pre-election environment, and practical recommendations to enhance the credibility of the process and citizen confidence in the elections.

NDI and IRI are nonpartisan, nongovernmental organizations that support and strengthen democratic institutions and practices worldwide.

The Institutes have collectively observed more than 200 elections in more than 50 countries over the last 30 years.