131 global observers willing to watch polls

A total of 131 international observers and 46 foreign journalists have expressed interest in monitoring and covering the January 7 national election until yesterday, said Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam.

Yesterday was the last date for international observers and foreign journalists to apply to monitor the election.

EC sources said they invited 114 members and chiefs of election commissions from 34 countries and heads of four associations -- Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA), and the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB).

In 2018, 38 observers from the Commonwealth, OIC, and Philippines-based Association of Asian Election Authorities (AAEA), among others, monitored the election at the EC's invitation.

Besides, 62 foreigners and 69 Bangladeshis from various foreign missions worked as observers in the 2018 election.

According to EC sources, 169 international observers monitored the 2018 election, compared to 593 in 2008, and 225 in 2001.

EC sources said that the European Union, Commonwealth, and US-based National Democratic Institute (NDI), as well as the African Electoral Alliance, have so far expressed their desire to monitor the 2024 polls.

The Commonwealth's pre-election assessment mission visited Bangladesh in November last week. It said it would decide on sending a full observer mission only after evaluating the team's findings.

The EU exploratory mission visited Bangladesh from July 6-22 while the US joint mission of the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) visited Bangladesh from October 8-11.

Based on the report of the exploratory mission, the EU decided not to send a full observer mission. The EU later said it would send a four-member observer team to monitor the polls.