EU exploratory mission to meet EC today

Staff Reporter :

A seven-member European Union (EU) Exploratory Mission will sit with Election Commission (EC) on Monday to discuss the possibility of deploying an EU observation mission for the upcoming 13th parliamentary elections scheduled in early February next year.

EC Secretariat Joint Secretary Md Moin Uddin Khan confirmed that the delegation, led by senior election expert Riccardo Chellery, will meet EC officials from 3 pm to 4 pm.

A separate meeting with Election Commissioner Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah is scheduled from 4 pm to 5 pm.

“The EU team is mainly here to discuss the upcoming election with different government and non-government stakeholders,” Moin Uddin said.

He added that the recommendations of the fact-finding mission will determine whether the EU sends a full observation team during the polls.

Last week, EC Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said the EU delegation would visit the EC office on September 22 to meet with an Election Commissioner and EC officials.

According to EC officials, the discussions will focus on election preparations, the overall political atmosphere, and measures taken to ensure free and fair polls.

They believe the engagement will contribute to a more transparent and participatory electoral process.

Meanwhile, the EU said that it would provide 4 million euros to support Bangladesh in conducting its upcoming 13th national elections.

The announcement was made in August 2025 by EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Michael Miller, following a meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner.

The EU support package is intended to help ensure the elections meet international standards and are free, fair, and credible.

The key aspects of the EU initiative include: focus on credibility, technical expertise, capacity building, voter education, countering misinformation and domestic observers.