Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
A European Union (EU) delegation met Bangladesh’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Tuesday, announcing €4 million in electoral support for the upcoming 13th parliamentary elections.
The six-member team, led by EU ambassador Michael Miller, met the CEC at the Election Commission office in Dhaka’s Agargaon at 11am. Other members included Sebastian Rieger-Brown, Enrico Lorenzone, Michael Lidower, Anas Wibawa and Tanja Nader. Representatives of the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) also joined.
“This was a very productive meeting. The EU will provide more than €4 million so Bangladesh can organise elections in line with international standards,” Miller told reporters. “We are working as a fellow traveller in organising a democratic election here.”
He added that the EU’s assistance would include capacity building, expert advice, effective planning and dispute resolution processes. “Our main goal is to ensure independence, efficiency and accountability here, as in other areas of our work in Bangladesh,” Miller said.
The envoy confirmed a pre-election observation team of technical experts will arrive in Dhaka in mid-September. “This is not a full-fledged observation mission. The experts’ job will be to verify whether the right environment has been created here to send an election observation mission,” Miller said.
He stressed that citizen observation and voter education would be prioritised. “We are empowering domestic observer organisations, working with civic groups, and discussing ways to prevent false information,” he said.
On the announcement of election dates, Miller said, “That is up to the Election Commission. We are discussing practical steps to ensure acceptance of the polls. We want your elections to be truly acceptable, at international standards, and of course, free and fair.”