AL President Sheikh Hasina made the request when Syed Sharfuddin, special adviser and head, Asia-Europe section, and Julie Broadbent, political affairs officer, democracy section of the Commonwealth Secretariat, met her at Sudha Sadan.

Current political situation and pre-election observers issue came up for discussion at the meeting that lasted about an hour.

After the meeting, AL leaders briefed the Commonwealth delegation for more than one-hour on pre-election environment, 14-party's demands for electoral reforms, reconstitution of the Election Commission and updating voter list.

The AL leaders also told the delegation how President Iajuddin has become the chief adviser to the caretaker government (CG) violating the constitution, the 'election engineering' process by the BNP-Jamaat alliance, and the caretaker government's activities.

Briefing the newsmen, the AL chief's Political Secretary Saber Hossain Chowdhury said the Commonwealth team proposed that they would send observers ahead of the election. "We have told them to send the observers right now as the election process has already started."

Emerging from the meeting, Sharfuddin told reporters that they will submit a report to the CS and on the basis of their report the CS will take decision whether they would send the election observers.

"We are here to meet different political parties, the caretaker government, civil society and the media to assess whether the presence of a Commonwealth observer group is needed during the election," he added.

AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, AL's Foreign Affairs Secretary Syed Abul Hossain, former ambassador Mohammad Ziauddin and former cabinet secretary HT Imam were present at the meeting.