National election: Commonwealth likely to send assessment team Nov 19

A pre-election assessment mission from the Commonwealth will visit Dhaka from November 19-22, ahead of the 12th parliamentary election.

In an email last week, the Commonwealth conveyed to the Chief Election Commissioner, Kazi Habibul Awal, its desire to send the mission.

Confirming the matter to The Daily Star yesterday, the CEC said, "I have informed them that they are welcome."

The foreign and home ministries would soon be informed of the visit as well, the CEC added.

According to an EC official, the Commonwealth will decide on sending a full observer mission after assessing the findings of the pre-election mission.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific.

It sent a two-member senior staff team to observe the polls in 2018 and 2008, as well as some previous elections.

The Commonwealth is sending a pre-election assessment mission after the same type of mission from the European Union and the US has already visited Bangladesh ahead of the next polls.

The EU exploratory mission visited Bangladesh from July 6-22 while the US joint mission of the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) visited Bangladesh from October 8-11.

Based on the report of exploratory mission, the EU decided not to send a full observer mission. The EU, however, later said that they would send a four-member observer team to monitor the polls.

The US has yet to declare whether it will send a full mission or not. It, however, has made five recommendations as a roadmap for progress toward credible, inclusive, participatory, and nonviolent elections.

The recommendations include moderating rhetoric and engaging in open and substantive dialogue on key election issues, protecting freedom of expression, and ensuring an open civic space where dissent is respected.

Meanwhile, Election Commission officials said that they are planning to invite international observers from 43 countries and the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The EC would also send invitations to members of the Forum of Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA). Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are the members of the organisation.

During the last election, 38 observers from the Commonwealth, OIC, and Philippines-based Association of Asian Election Authorities (AAEA), among others came to Bangladesh on EC's invitation.

Besides, 62 foreigners and 69 Bangladeshis in different foreign missions worked as international observers in the 2018 election.

According to EC sources, 169 international observers monitored the 2018 election, compared to 593 in 2008 and 225 in 2001.