UN rarely deploys observers to monitor national polls: Spokesman
The United Nations has said they do not deploy observers to national elections like Bangladesh's upcoming 12th Jatiya Sangsad polls, noting that they rarely do that without a specific mandate.
"The UN is not deploying observers to these elections. We don't… we rarely, rarely do that without a specific mandate," Spokesman for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at a regular briefing on 29 November.
He said they have seen the reports from Human Rights Watch and other organisations.
"We again call on all parties involved to ensure that people can express their votes freely, their opinion freely, free of any harassment," the spokesman said.
Candidates of 30 political parties out of 44 registered political parties have submitted nomination papers for the January 7 national election.