Govt for UN-coordinated polls observers

Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni on Sunday said Bangladesh would work with UNDP and others to invite and receive international observers for monitoring the entire election process, not just at the time of the election, but also before and after that.She laid emphasis on a wide spectrum of UN-coordinated election observation – pre-election, during election and post-election and mentioned that Bangladesh will maintain its close cooperation with the UN to hold free, fair, inclusive and credible elections with international acclaim.
The Foreign Minister said this during a meeting with the visiting UN Assistant Secretary General (ASG) on Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco at her office.
Dipu Moni said the government will also continue to pursue dialogue with the opposition to agree on the modalities for holding the elections under an independent and effective Election Commission.
The Foreign Minister said the government remained concerned over the damaging impact of the ongoing political violence on the country’s economy and democratic environment.
She said the sooner the opposition accepts the Prime Minister’s call for dialogue, the better would it be for ending the current political stalemate and spiral of violence.
Dipu Moni appreciated the UN’s continued support for Bangladesh’s electoral process, particularly in preparing the Voter ID Cards that started before the 2008 election.
Farnandez-Taranco, who came on a second visit to Dhaka in five months as the Special Envoy of the UN Secretrary General Ban Ki-Moon, appreciated the Prime Minister’s offer for dialogue and stressed that all major political parties should positively respond to it.
He said the UN Secretary General had a special dispensation towards Bangladesh and was personally concerned over the adverse effects of the political violence on Bangladesh’s socio-economic achievements.
The ASG also said the Secretary General would like to see a congenial atmosphere being created for the next elections with the support and participation of all political parties.
Taranco appreciated the trust, cooperation and partnership that exist between Bangladesh and the UN, and praised Bangladesh’s active and frontline engagement within the UN. UNB

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