EU mission asks about violence risk, calls for credible polls

The visiting Election Exploratory Mission from the European Union enquired about the improvement of the election atmosphere, the risk of violence prior to the upcoming national election, polls-time security measures, and the overall human rights situation in the country while holding meetings with various government bodies on Monday.

The delegation had a busy schedule on the second day of their two-week visit, engaging with officials from the foreign ministry, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Bangladesh Police, the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tract Affairs, and the ruling Awami League's international affairs subcommittee.

Focusing on the visit, Charles Whiteley, EU ambassador in Dhaka, met with Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader at the secretariat.

Ambassador Whiteley emphasised the importance of peaceful, fair, and participatory elections in Bangladesh. "We very much encourage peaceful, free, fair, and participatory elections in Bangladesh," he told the media following his meeting with Quader.

Whitely said they also spoke about the EU mission and its purpose of holding meetings with political parties, civil society groups, and security forces.

Minister Obaidul Quader clarified that there were no discussions held regarding a caretaker government, dissolution of the parliament, or the resignation of the prime minister. He also stated that there were no discussions involving the BNP.

Quader said it is up to the visiting EU mission whether they will request the BNP or any other political party to participate in the upcoming elections.

"The European Union has not expressed any concern about the elections. They hoped for the best," stated Quader.

Meanwhile, both the opposition BNP and the ruling Awami League have apparently taken a strategy of showing strength on the streets in support of their respective positions ahead of their meeting with the visiting EU delegation.

The BNP is planning to announce a one-phase movement aimed at bringing down the government and holding the election under a caretaker government. The party will hold a rally in front of its central office next Wednesday.

In response, the Awami League has planned a counter-rally in Dhaka on the same day.

The European Union delegation is expected to hold separate meetings with the Awami League and the BNP on 15 July.

In a parallel development, US Undersecretary Uzra Zeya is scheduled to visit Bangladesh on a four-day visit starting today.

The political atmosphere in Bangladesh has witnessed significant volatility following the announcement of the new US visa policy in late May this year.

The United States has decided to deny visas to individuals, including law enforcers and political leaders, who are believed to be responsible for or complicit in undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the EU delegation also met with National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman Kamal Uddin Ahmed on Monday.

After the meeting, Kamal informed journalists that the delegation inquired about the risk of violence during the upcoming elections. He expressed a positive outlook, stating that recent city elections and local government elections were held without major conflicts, indicating an improvement in the overall election environment.

He also said he personally believed that the EU may send an observer team to the next national elections.

He also mentioned discussing various human rights issues during the meeting and expressed the intention to ensure the integrity of the voting process through discussions with deputy commissioners.

 What will be the police's role during national polls?

Additionally, the EU delegation held discussions with the Bangladesh Police regarding national polls-time security measures.

The delegation, led by Chelleri Riccardo, met with Md Kamrul Ahasan, additional inspector general of police (admin), at police headquarters. High officials from the police headquarters were also present at the meeting. 

Although the meeting was initially scheduled with the inspector general of police, it was conducted by the additional IGP, and the police headquarters could not provide clarification regarding this change.

According to sources at the police headquarters, the primary topic of discussion was security concerns before and during the upcoming elections.

The delegation inquired about the likelihood of a peaceful situation leading up to the national polls.

Police officials assured the delegation that there would be no room for violence or interference in the national elections. They committed to following the directives of the Election Commission and undertaking all necessary measures.

However, when asked whether police neutrality and non-partisanship were discussed during the meeting, the sources declined to comment.

Md Manzur Hossain, assistant inspector general (media) of the police headquarters, informed the media that the meeting did not specifically focus on the election itself. Instead, the delegation discussed and inquired about the security measures for the election observatory team.

 Free, fair polls possible under PM Sheikh Hasina: AL

The EU delegation also had a meeting with the leaders of the Awami League Subcommittee on International Affairs at the ambassador's residence on Monday.

According to sources within the Awami League, the AL international affairs sub-committee told the six-member EU delegation that the BNP destroyed the caretaker government system.

The BNP also ruined the election system of this country, the AL leaders said, adding that there was no fair voting anywhere during the tenure of the BNP.

The Awami League leaders pointed to the Magura by-election, and the inclusion of a large number of fake voters in the voter list during the BNP's term.

Also, they assured the delegation that a free, fair, and impartial election is possible under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Earlier in the morning on the same day, the delegation held a meeting with senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Asad Alam Siam, inspector general of missions at the foreign ministry, and other officials were present during the meeting.

However, neither side provided any comments on the discussions held.

 EU wants to monitor hill tracts region

The EU wants to monitor the hill tracts region of Bangladesh for six weeks leading up to the national elections, said the EU delegation during their meeting with officials from the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs at the secretariat on Monday.

The ministry officials assured the EU delegation of their willingness to provide all necessary administrative support for the proposed monitoring, according to the meeting sources.

Aminul Islam, additional secretary of the ministry, told reporters after the meeting, "They want to keep the Chittagong Hill Tracts area under observation for six weeks before the elections. They will come during election time. We have said that the Election Commission will look into it."

Regarding the delegation's request to visit the hilly areas and engage with people from different political parties and classes, the officials responded that since it pertains to elections, the Election Commission would make the decision. The officials clarified that they were not involved in the matter.

The EU did not send any observers for the last two national elections in Bangladesh.

Previously, an EU Election Observation Mission was deployed in 2008, following an invitation from the then caretaker government and the Election Commission.

Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, chief observer and member of the European Parliament, led the 150 observers during that election and submitted a report.

The EU Election Exploratory Mission team arrived in Dhaka on 8 July for a 16-day visit to observe the present political situation and assess the pre-election environment in Bangladesh.

The delegation initiated their activities in Bangladesh on Sunday to assess the present and pre-election political situation in the country.

Delegation leader Chelleri Riccardo and his team have held several meetings thus far, including discussions with diplomats stationed in Dhaka on Sunday.

The team is scheduled to have a series of meetings, including with the Election Commission and Election Monitoring Forum, today as well.