Expressing disappointment at US’s recent statement, Bangladesh on Sunday said the decision of Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) to cancel its observation mission is entirely their own.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), in a statement said, nearly half of its (ANFREL) applicants have already been approved and the rest is under process.“Bangladesh is disheartened to see a press statement issued by the United States Department of State on the upcoming national parliamentary elections to be held in a festive atmosphere on December 30 2018, which is being participated by all registered political parties in the country,” the statement reads.
In its statement issued on December 21, the United States expressed disappointment over Bangladesh government’s “inability” to grant credentials and issue visas within the timeframe necessary to conduct a credible international monitoring mission to the majority of international election monitors here.The observers are from the ANFREL, which the United States funded through the National Democratic Institute (NDI). ‘Odhikar’, an NGO of Bangladesh, is the founding member of ANFREL.
“Odhikar is widely known for its disproportionate bias and prejudice against Bangladesh, in particular the government of Awami League, which is evident in its various reports, including the recent ones published in October and December 2018,” said the MoFA.
Besides, according to MoFA statement, one of the top-ranking Bangladesh members of ‘Odhikar’ was earlier appointed by the BNP-Jamaat government as the Deputy Attorney General, which provides ground for disqualification of his organisation and related entities as independent and neutral observer of the national elections. The election is being conducted by the Bangladesh Election Commission, which is a constitutional body and independent in the exercise of its functions, said the MoFA.
While Bangladesh welcomes international election observers to observe the election, it certainly has the responsibility to ensure that the applicants meet all the required criteria as per applicable laws and guidelines of the Election Commission, reads the statement.As of now, 175 foreign election observers from different countries and organizations have been accredited to undertake election monitoring missions in Bangladesh, MoFA says.
Accreditation of international election observers from a number of organisations, including ANFREL, is currently under process, said the MoFA. In addition, the Election Commission has registered 118 local organisations and also approved 25,920 local observers to monitor the polls.
Under Section 91 (C) (1) of the Representation of the People Order 1972, the Commission is supposed to ‘permit a person as election observer who is in no way associated with or affiliated to any political party or contesting candidate and who is not known for his sympathy, direct or indirect, for any particular political ideology, creed or cause or for any manifesto, programme, aims or objects of any political party or contesting candidate’.
As one of the largest democracies in the world and mutually respectful to others, Bangladesh would expect and welcome constructive statements towards its democratic process from its friends and partners, said the MoFA. Bangladesh has reiterated that it would continue to grant credentials to eligible international and local election observers to observe the 11th national parliamentary elections to be held on December 30.
source: UNB
