Unfortunate setback for election monitors
With just a week left before the national election, it is worrying that there should be a need to reiterate the call for something as fundamental as creating space for effective election monitoring. According to a report by The Daily Star, the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) has been forced to cancel its observation mission for the December 30 election after Bangladesh failed to grant credentials and issue visas within the stipulated timeframe to the majority of its international monitors. Rightly, the US, which funded the ANFREL mission, has expressed its disappointment. In diplo-speak, a country's "inability" to issue visas for such a cause is usually viewed as a rejection. It's inconceivable why the government would leave room for such speculations when it has reportedly promised to allow international observers for the sake of a credible election.
With ANFREL out of the picture, and the EU not sending any mission this year, the responsibility to observe the election rests on the shoulders of local observers and the few international monitors who can make it in time. But there are doubts if they will be able to do their job properly, what with the unreasonable restrictions being put on them about, for example, taking pictures inside a polling station or talking to the media while monitoring the election. All this tends to heighten fears about the EC's ability to deliver a fair and participatory election. The EC is already facing mounting criticism over its failure to create a level playing field for all the contesting parties and protect the opposition from threats of random arrests, violence, "ghost" cases and other barriers. Most recently, BNP's official website was blocked on vague grounds, which is just an indication of the shrinking space for the opposition. The latest setback suffered by the international monitors should serve as a warning for the EC that a lot remains to be done in terms of creating the proper environment for an election. The EC must act now as there is very little time left.
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