Bangladesh News

The European Union (EU) might not send a full mission to observe the national election if the government does not restore people’s ‘basic freedoms’ at least six weeks before the polls, said EU officials.

However, if fundamental rights such as freedom of movement, assembly, association, thought and conscience, and speech are reinstated, it would send observers even under the state of emergency, they added.

In the event of the caretaker administration failing to act to that effect, the EU will confine itself to sending a technical assistance team.

The union has recently said its rules of procedures based on the UN election observation standards do not allow it to deploy observers to monitor elections under a state of emergency.

In an email to The Daily Star, an EU official from Brussels said a ‘flexible approach’ to the observation standards would allow them to send observers even with the state of emergency in force. But for that to happen, the government must restore the civil liberties suspended by the emergency power rules.

“Words will not be enough, we’ll need to see concrete and convincing acts,” said a European diplomat.

Before choosing to observe the parliamentary polls planned for December, the EU would like to see the political parties are allowed to campaign and hold rallies; the media are free to report events and voters are given back their basic rights.

“We will be analysing the situation, principally how and to what extent the emergency is being relaxed,” the EU official said, adding the EU will view Bangladesh’s as a unique case.

The government on several occasions said they would ease the emergency curbs before the election, but has yet to specify the extent of relaxation.

Lately, a US spokesperson in Dhaka told The Daily Star that like they did in last month’s mayoral polls, they would deploy observers for the general election irrespective of the status of emergency rules.

This appears to be the antithesis of US Ambassador James Moriarty’s recent observation that “it would be difficult to have a credible election under the state of emergency.”

Sources close to the British high commission in Dhaka said the UK would work under the EU umbrella, and would look for the ‘right practical conditions’ for elections.

A UK envoy told The Daily Star they are still optimistic that things will fall into place and the present uncertain political climate would change for the better. “A lot can happen between now and December,” he added.

Meanwhile, EU officials in both Brussels and Dhaka told The Daily Star that they will keep a close watch on developments on the ground. They will wait for actions enough to convince them that basic freedoms are in place at least six to seven weeks before the election.

An EU official said since observers are usually deployed around one and a half months before polls, the union would need to be convinced of these actions before that period.

Otherwise it would have to restrict itself to assigning a technical assistance team, he continued. “The timing here is crucial.”

The EU maintains that they would not ordinarily send an observation mission for polls under a state of emergency.

But here, EU ambassador Stefan Frowein said, they will be “taking a more pragmatic approach”.

“Even as we try to be practical, we will not compromise on core ideals and principles,” the official said.

The EU decision to upgrade a technical assistance team to an observation mission for the parliamentary election in Pakistan after the state of emergency was lifted there gives an idea of its ideal approach to election monitoring.