The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) has deployed 56 long-term observers across the country to monitor the national elections to be held on February 12. They are starting their monitoring program in 64 districts of the country from today Saturday.
At a ceremony held at a hotel in the capital on the occasion of the deployment of observers, EU IOM Deputy Chief Observer Inta Lasse said, ‘Long-term observers are a very important part of our mission. Based on their field experience and information, an impartial and informed assessment of the election process will be made.
Inta Lasse added that the EU follows a well-established and robust system, which will ensure a balanced and complete picture of the electoral process.
Inta Lasse said that the observers will work in teams of two members. They will conduct work not only in big cities but also in small towns and villages. Their activities include: meeting with voters, election officials, candidates and representatives of political parties; discussions with citizen observers and youth activists; Assisting Dhaka based core expert team with information by monitoring important aspects at regional level.
EU officials said the mission not only included observers from EU member states, but also Canada, Norway and Switzerland. Before starting fieldwork, they were given a detailed briefing on Bangladesh’s election process, political situation, legal framework and media and social reality.
The Mission’s Chief Observer and Member of the European Parliament Ivers Eyabs officially opened the program on January 11. The mission will be intensified as election day approaches.
Another 90 short-term observers will be deployed during the polls. In all, about 200 observers will participate in the election process. The mission will release its initial monitoring report through a press conference on February 14. After the election, a full report with recommendations will be submitted to the concerned authorities and will be made public.
According to the EU EOM, they operate with a strict code of conduct and impartiality. This mission is being conducted in line with the principles of international election observation adopted under the supervision of the United Nations in 2005. This observation team has been deployed at the invitation of Bangladesh government.
