Commonwealth ready to assist Bangladesh in polls: EC secretary
He said the delegation has expressed optimism that this historic inclusion of expatriate voters in Bangladesh's election, for the first time in 53 years, would be successfully implemented.
The Commonwealth is ready to extend any form of assistance to Bangladesh in holding the upcoming 13th national parliament elections, Election Commission (EC) Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said today (23 November).
Commonwealth Secretary General Shirley Botchwey conveyed this assurance to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin during a meeting at the Election Commission headquarters in the capital's Agargaon. Botchwey led a six-member delegation to the talks.
Briefing the media after the meeting, the EC senior secretary said, "The Commonwealth secretary general specifically told us that there are 56 member countries in the Commonwealth, and they are ready to provide any assistance if we request it."
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He added, "The secretary general also expressed satisfaction after knowing that the United Kingdom is already supporting our election process."
At the meeting, Akhtar Ahmed said, she showed interest to learn about EC's preparations and progress regarding the election. "We briefed them on what materials would be required, particularly for the participation of overseas voters."
He said the delegation has expressed optimism that this historic inclusion of expatriate voters in Bangladesh's election, for the first time in 53 years, would be successfully implemented.
The senior secretary said, "Regarding our preparations, they said, it was a challenge, but the Commonwealth hopes that we will succeed given the way we are moving forward."
As the delegation inquired about the country's current law and order situation, he said, "We told them that the country has been divided into three zones - red, yellow, and green - and we are managing the law and order issues accordingly."
On women's participation in the election, the EC senior secretary said, "They were informed about the number of female voters and they appreciated it."
They were also satisfied to hear that the voter list has been corrected, with deceased voters removed, he added.
Regarding misinformation, fake news, and rumours, he said, "They mentioned that such incidents occur, so we need to exercise caution."
He continued, "We told them that we are prepared and continuously informing the public through the media, and we will further enhance this process gradually."
Akhtar Ahmed also said that the Commonwealth Secretary General emphasized the importance of public trust in the electoral process and the critical role of awareness campaigns.
"We informed her that we have an outreach program in place and expect the political parties to cooperate. We are confident that this will help us achieve the desired outcome," he said.
