US reiterates goal of fair, free elections in Bangladesh

The United States remains committed to ensuring a fair and free national election in Bangladesh and maintains a neutral stance towards all political parties in the country, according to the State Department.

Vedant Patel, a spokesperson for the State Department, reiterated Washington’s position during a media briefing on Thursday.

However, he refrained from commenting on the issue of having a caretaker government in place during the election, a core demand from opposition groups.

“As you’ve heard us say, we do not support a particular government or political party or candidate in any country, and that in areas where there are elections ongoing, we—our goal and intent is for these elections to take place in a free and fair way that respects the will of the people of that country.”

He also underscored Washington’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Dhaka.

Responding to a question about Bangladesh’s success in combating terrorism and radicalism with US support, Patel said, “I will speak about this in broad terms that you’ve heard me say before, that last year we celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations with Bangladesh, and of course that this is a country that we’re looking to continue to deepen our relationships and partnerships with as there continue to be a number of areas, including trade, cooperation in the climate space, cooperation in the security space, and otherwise where that potential exists.”