TDS Desk:

The EU observation mission will observe the upcoming national parliamentary elections in Bangladesh. However, the European Union (EU) election observation mission chief observer Yar Yabs said that it will not observe the referendum.

He made this announcement at a press conference at a hotel in the capital on Sunday afternoon.

Yar Yabs said, “The EU observation mission will work in Bangladesh for about two months to observe the entire election process. The EU observation mission will observe only the parliamentary elections. It will not observe the referendum.”

In response to a question about participatory elections, the EU election observation chief said, “The EU expects elections to be fair, free, acceptable and with the participation of people from all walks of life. Participatory elections mean the participation of all social groups, including men, women, minorities, and small ethnic groups. The percentage of voters who participated in the elections is a big deal.”

Regarding the challenges of the election, Yar Yabs said, “Mutual trust and confidence are the biggest challenges in the upcoming elections. A balance must be struck between the activities of law enforcement agencies and freedom of expression.”

He also mentioned that transparency and impartiality are essential at every stage of the election.