Dhaka – As the international observers have refused to monitor the January-5 polls, the Election Commission now depends on local
observers and the media.
“If foreign observers don’t come to monitor the elections, local observers will do,” Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad
told reporters on Monday.
Replying to a query whether the election will be questionable due to the absence of foreign observers, he said, “It matters little, you
(media people) are here, you’ll monitor it and depict the polls scenario among the people of the country.”
The CEC came up with the remark while leaving his Election Commission Secretariat office in the evening.
About foreign observers’ refusal to monitor the polls, Rakibuddin said every organisation has its own policy. “Whether it’ll send observers
or not depends on its evaluation in line with its policy.”
Asked whether the commission will respond positively to ruling Awami League’s request to stop publishing affidavits of candidates’
information, the CEC said, “There’s nothing new in it. It’s a tradition. The commission will examine the law before doing anything
in this regard,” he added.
Meanwhile, the European Union, the Commonwealth and the United States have already said that they will not send their observers for the 10th
parliamentary elections expressing grave concern over arrangement of the polls amid boycott by the BNP-led opposition alliance.
Even, the Election Working Group (EWG), a platform of 29 NGOs, on December 17 said they will not deploy its observers in the election
unless the law and order situation improves by then.
“If the country’s law and order situation doesn’t improve, we won’t deploy our observers in the January-5 election considering their
security,” EWG executive member Taleya Rahman told reporters after a meeting between EWG delegation and the CEC on December 17.
As the United States followed the EU and the Commonwealth, the question of credibility of the January 5 election looms large.
“…the United States will not deploy observers for these elections. We remain prepared to reengage our observation efforts at a later time in
a more conducive environment,” said Jen Psaki, Spokesperson of the US State Department, in a press statement issued from Washington on
December 22.
In the ninth parliamentary elections held in 2008, a total of 1,58,973 local observers from 75 organisations and 585 foreign observers from
18 international organisations were deployed in Bangladesh.
Out of 1,58,973 local observers, the EWG, a platform of the then 32 organisations deployed highest 1,49,830 observers and the rest 43
organisations deployed only 9143 persons.
Of the 585 foreign observers, the EU alone sent the highest 146 observers for the 2008 December election, while the Commonwealth
deployed 17 observers, IRI 89, NDI 69, USAID 64, Anfrel-BD 50, Asia Foundation 37, ANFREL 29, Japan Election Observer Mission 25, British
High Commission 24, UNDP 12, Indian High Commission 11, US Embassy 4, OIC 2, India Forum Asia 2, Swedish 2, German Embassy 1 and Nepal 1.
The Election Commission has invited all the foreign agencies to monitor the election but most of them show reluctance to monitor the
elections as 154 constituencies out of 300 have got only single candidates who are set to be election unopposed.
The Election commission announced the election schedule on November 25. – UNB
