Nat’l Polls: ‘EU to send small team of observers’
The European Union has informed the Awami League that it will send a small expert group to observe the next national election.
AL presidium member Muhammad Faruk Khan told the media that they came to know about the development in a meeting at the residence of Charles Whiteley, the EU ambassador to Bangladesh.
The meeting was held between the representatives of 10 EU member countries, including the EU ambassador, and an AL delegation.
"They wanted to know the stance and thoughts of the Awami League regarding the upcoming election. We have said an interim government will be formed in a few days as per our constitution. The Election Commission will announce the schedule. We will hold the polls according to the schedule," Faruk added.
Requesting anonymity, two AL leaders, who were in the meeting, told this newspaper that the EU will send a four-member expert team, which will reach Bangladesh in November and leave after the election.
On September 20, the EU told the EC that it decided not to send a fully-fledged election observation mission for the upcoming national polls.
Faruk said the meeting proved that the EU wants fair elections in Bangladesh, which the AL also wants. "They also wanted to know what we will do to hold elections in a fair manner."
Claiming that there was no discussion about the BNP, the AL leader said, "However, we think that the BNP is a responsible political party; we hope that they will join the next election."
Faruk added that there were no discussions on dialogue.
"The members of the European Union also wanted to learn how we will run the country if we win the next election. We told them that they will get the answer to that question in our election manifesto," he said.
In response to their question as to what the AL's polls manifesto will be like, the AL leader said they told the EU that it will have two aspects.
"In the first, we will tell the people how much we have fulfilled the pledges that we had made in the manifesto of the last election. A committee has been working on it.
"We had a very good meeting. The 50 years of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and the EU are very good. Our prime minister is going to Brussels in a few days. There will be a partnership agreement between us. They said these things at the beginning of the meeting," he said.
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