British envoy meets candidates in Sylhet

British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Alison Blake has said the high commission wishes to see a peaceful, free and inclusive election.

She was speaking to journalists after meeting two candidates in Sylhet-1 constituency yesterday afternoon.

On a short visit to Sylhet, Blake spoke with AL candidate AK Abdul Momen and BNP's Khandakar Abdul Muktadir.

The high commissioner said, “Both I and many of our international partners wish to see a peaceful, free and inclusive election in which all the parties can campaign freely, their supporters can mobilise, and voters can vote”.

“The UK and many other countries are funding up to 5,000 domestic observers who will be covering 114 constituencies.... we want the best possible election process where people can vote without intimidation, violence and hindrance,”Blake said.

“As the British high commissioner, I can see a tiny fraction of what is happening but these observers will enable people to feel confident that the process is being properly scrutinised.”

About the discussion, Abdul Momen said, “We discussed the electoral environment and how festive we are all feeling.”

Khandakar Abdul Muktadir said, “I described how we are being oppressed by the ruling party during campaign.”