US for fresh credible polls
US for fresh credible polls
The US believes Bangladesh still has an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to democracy by organising fresh elections that are credible in the eyes of its people.
"We did note that we were disappointed by the recent parliamentary elections, especially because so many of the seats were uncontested or only had token opposition," Marie Harf, deputy spokesperson of the US Department of State, said while replying to queries on the current situation in Bangladesh at a press briefing in Washington DC on January 6.
"Obviously, we believe going forward things should be done very differently," she said adding that Bangladesh still has a chance to have a different future.
"We obviously condemn in the strongest terms the violence coming from all quarters, believe that violence has no place in a democratic process, and encourage Bangladesh going forward – the parties – all parties and all sides – to come together and move away from that kind of violence," she said.
Asked how she knows that it was a 'bad' election as there was no observer from USA, Harf said, "What I base the statement on was that more than half of the seats were uncontested, and most of the remainder offered only token opposition. Obviously, you don’t need to have an observer at a polling place to see that."
About the US coordination with India on the Bangladesh issue, Harf expressed her unawareness over the matter.
Asked whether US is planning to invoke provisions of halting aids to Bangladesh, Harf said, "I’m happy to check and see what the future holds in terms of our relationship and what that might look like.