Bangladesh on track for 'peaceful, inclusive' polls: Yunus tells IRI

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus today (21 October) conveyed to the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) that Bangladesh is on track for a "peaceful and inclusive" election, noting that this is going to be a lifetime experience for so many young people.

"Half the population of the country is under 27. They will vote for the first time in their life. We want to make sure they are satisfied. We will have a peaceful and festive voting," he said when a delegation from the IRI met him at the state guest house Jamuna.

The delegation confirmed that the IRI will send at least 10 international observers for Bangladesh's national election in February.

"We will have robust election observation in February," said delegation head Christopher J Fussner, Member of the Board of Directors of IRI.

He said deployment of election observers would help mitigate chances of violence during the vote.

Lisa Curtis, senior fellow and director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS); Jessica Keegan, technical expert on Democratic Elections and Political Processes at IRI; Steve Cima, resident program director at IRI; and Jami Spykerman, program director at the National Democratic Institute (NDI) were present at the meeting.

SDGs Affairs Principal Coordinator Lamiya Morshed was also present.

During the meeting, the delegation shared insights from their previous election observations and exchanged views with the Chief Adviser on electoral reforms.

They expressed optimism about the current political atmosphere, said the Chief Adviser's press wing.

Fussner praised the prevailing atmosphere for the general election in Bangladesh.

"All parties want an election. From our experience of the previous election, we can see a positive atmosphere, which feels really good. We could tell the difference between the previous election and this election," Fussner said.

The delegation said it is important to include local observers from civil society, such as student groups, to make the election more transparent. They also talked about the dangers of false information during elections.

Yunus said disinformation is a serious problem. "The biggest threat to democracy today is disinformation. By the time the truth comes out, people have already reacted," he said.

Fussner also raised concerns about the use of artificial intelligence to fabricate images and manipulate public opinion.

 Yunus underscored the significance of the July Charter as a unique milestone for the country's democratic journey, noting that all political parties have shown their commitment to reform.

The IRI team deployed its pre-election assessment mission to Bangladesh from 20 October and they will continue to engage until 23 October.

This high-level mission, comprising international policy and elections experts, arrived in Dhaka on 20 October to meet with a broad range of stakeholders, including the Bangladesh Election Commission, political parties, government officials, and civil society organisations from across the Bangladeshi political spectrum and examine issues central to electoral competitiveness and civic engagement.