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The European Union Election Observation Mission has said that it does not anticipate issuing any security alerts during its monitoring of Bangladesh’s parliamentary election.
Speaking at a media briefing in Dhaka on Saturday, Inta Lase, the mission’s deputy chief observer, said the EU team was operating with its own security arrangements and did not anticipate serious safety concerns during its work.
The mission has already deployed 56 long-term observers across Bangladesh ahead of the February 12 vote, with more observers set to arrive as polling day approaches, bdnews24.com reports.
Lase said the mission would assess whether the election was being conducted in line with Bangladesh’s domestic laws, as well as international and regional commitments the country has signed up to.
The EU formally launched its full-scale observation activities last week, describing the importance of elections that are both inclusive and participatory.
Mission officials said inclusivity refers to the ability of all sections of society, including women, ethnic and religious minorities and regional groups -- to take part in the electoral process. Participation, they added, would be assessed partly through voter turnout, which they said could indicate whether citizens felt able to exercise their democratic rights.
This is the first time since 2008 that the European Union has sent a full-fledged election observation mission to Bangladesh. At full strength, the mission will include around 200 observers from the EU’s 27 member states, as well as Canada, Norway and Switzerland.
The observation team includes an 11-strong core analytical group based in Dhaka, 56 long-term observers deployed across all 64 districts, and 90 short-term observers who will arrive shortly before election day. Observers from diplomatic missions of EU member states and partner countries will also take part.
Lase said long-term observers play a central role in the mission’s work, providing the foundation for what she described as an impartial and evidence-based assessment of the electoral process.
She said the observers would work in pairs and engage with voters, election officials, candidates, political party representatives, civil society groups and young activists. Their work would cover not only major cities but also smaller towns and rural areas.
According to the mission, all observers received detailed briefings before deployment on Bangladesh’s political landscape, legal framework, electoral procedures, and media and social context.
The EU mission has been deployed at the invitation of the Bangladeshi authorities and is led by a member of the European Parliament.
As polling day approaches, the mission will be reinforced by short-term observers and by diplomats from EU member states and partner countries, who will focus on election-day procedures including voting, vote counting and the tabulation of results.
A delegation from the European Parliament will also join the mission, bringing the total number of observers to around 200.
The EU mission is expected to present its preliminary findings at a press conference in Dhaka on Feb 14. A final report, including recommendations, will be published after the electoral process is complete. Both reports will be made public.
Mission officials said the observation effort was governed by a strict code of conduct requiring neutrality and non-interference, and that it followed international principles for election observation endorsed by the United Nations in 2005.