EU Mission deploys 90 short-term observers to monitor election day

The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) has deployed observers to monitor election day proceedings across the country.

A total of 90 short-term observers (STOs) have been assigned across all 64 administrative districts.

They will monitor all stages of the election, including the opening of polling centres, voting process, the closing of the polls, ballot counting, and results tabulation.

"The short-term observers will be present in cities, towns, and villages across nearly every constituency. Their observations and reports throughout the day will play a crucial role in our impartial, fact-based assessment of these historic elections," said Chief Observer IvarsIjabs at a city hotel on Tuesday.

The deployment of short-term observers supplements the efforts of 56 long-term observers, who have been in Bangladesh since mid-January, observing the pre-election environment, including preparations by the election administration, campaign activities, voter education efforts.

They have also engaged with electoral stakeholders across the political and civil society spectrum.

A delegation of Members of the European Parliament is further reinforcing the mission, and 35 locally recruited short-term observers from the diplomatic missions of EU member states, as well as from Canada, Norway, and Switzerland, are joining the mission.

The EU EOM will present its preliminary findings in a statement at a press conference on 14 February in the capital.

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