2 lakh to observe JS polls

Over two lakh local and more than 500 foreign observers will monitor the December 29 parliamentary election across the country.
The Election Commission Secretariat sources said they have already given approval to 96 local non-government voluntary organisations for observation of the election all over the country.
However, exact figure of the number of local observers are yet to be ascertained as offices of the returning officers concerned are still issuing identity cards to the observers.
Of the total observers, 1.78 lakh will be alone of Election Working Group, a conglomeration of 32 NGOs.
Foreign observer teams include Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), European Union (EU), International Republican Institute (IRI), ANFREL-BD, EOJ, International Democratic Institute (NDI), EU Election Observation Mission, Commonwealth, Asia Foundation (SAARC), British High Commission, US Embassy, Indian High Commission, Swedish Embassy, Nepal, German Embassy, USAID.
Sources in the EC secretariat said around 70 people will work as interpreters and around 100 will be staffers of the local embassies and high commissions of different countries.
The EC secretariat in a press release yesterday said none would be allowed to observer the election without observer identification cards of the election commission.