Bangladesh News

The visiting European Union (EU) Election Observation Exploratory Mission yesterday held two separate meetings with officials of the district election office and local journalists.
The EU team, which arrived in Khulna Friday evening, also met with local political leaders and members of parliament.

Headed by Andrew Bruce, the delegation members discussed with the election officials voter list updating, process of appointing polling agents, arrangements for maintaining law and order on the election day and role of officials conducting the election.

The mission came to Khulna press club at about noon and wanted to know from local journalists if there would be any problem in gathering information on the polls day for correct reporting in newspapers. Some journalists told them they did not get easy access to polling centres in the last national elections despite showing their identity cards.

“We have come to your country only to listen to you and not to make any comments,” Andrew Bruce said when asked if they have any suggestions for resolving the current political crisis to pave the way for holding peaceful elections. He agreed with the journalists that tolerance and patience of political leaders are crying need in a critical political situation as exists in Bangladesh now.

Earlier on Fiday night, the EU team held separate meetings with local leaders of the BNP and its ally in the ruling coalition Jamaat-e-Islami, the main opposition Awami League (AL) and Jatiya Party (Ershad). The closed-door meetings with the leaders at a local hotel lasted about three and a half hours from 7:00 pm.

When asked, leaders of the four political parties told journalists that the visiting mission wanted to know about electoral reforms, reforms in the Election Commission and caretaker government. Matters relating to law and order also came up for discussion.

“We have told them that a free and fair election is not at all possible with the defectively updated voter list,” said General Secretary of the district AL Mostafa Rashidi Shuja.

City BNP Convenor and lawmaker Ali Asgar Lobi, and Nayeb-e-Amir of city Jamaat Shafiqul Islam said they have informed the EU team that law and order is quite congenial for holding a peaceful election with ‘properly updated’ voter list.

The delegation included Ana Beatriz Martins, Hanna Roberts, Victor Perez, Pascaline Krone and Charles Whitely.