EU EOM shares 6 priority recommendations; seeks more efforts for electoral inclusion

Chief observer of European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM), Ivars Ijabs, today (28 April) identified six priority recommendations for Bangladesh, noting that more efforts are needed to foster accountability and electoral inclusion.

"Now, it is time to turn the focus to the reform process to strengthen transparency and rule of law, to show political will in promoting women in public and political life and to foster an environment for a pluralistic and secure public debate, both online and offline," Ijabs said at a press briefing at a city hotel in the afternoon.

Women candidates were almost absent from these elections, signalling a lack of political will to promote women in decision-making positions, said the Mission.

Ijabs said the European Union stands ready to support Bangladesh in those efforts, in line with the recently initialled Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, and reaffirming its unwavering commitment to democratic principles.

"In this spirit, we offer our final report, and its 19 recommendations with the hope of contributing positively to future elections in Bangladesh," he told reporters, noting that the work of improving and refining the electoral process remains an essential ongoing exercise in any country, also here in Bangladesh.

The chief observer said they are looking forward to discussing these recommendations with the national stakeholders, as it is essential to continue an inclusive dialogue in the next steps, to strengthen democracy, and uphold the rule of law, and build public trust.

"These credible and competently managed elections marked a pivotal step toward restoring democratic governance and the rule of law, reflecting a shared commitment to democratic processes among all stakeholders," Ijabs said.

Although elections bolstered public trust, legal and procedural gaps remain, signalling the need to continue the reform process in line with the July National Charter and beyond, he said, adding that the European Union stands ready to support national partners in implementing these recommendations.

"The work of our mission is now finished, but let me assure you that the European Union Delegation here remains committed to working with Bangladeshi partners on the democratic processes," said the chief observer.

Six Priority Recommendations

The EU EOM has put forward six priority recommendations, and those include a comprehensive revision of the electoral legal framework, introduction of robust campaign financing rules and oversight, introduction of affirmative action to enhance women participation in public and political rights, as well as wide-ranging reforms to promote a safe digital environment.

The mission also recommended the EC take steps to ensure transparency throughout all stages of the vote tabulation and to consider extending eligibility for postal voting to other categories of voters.

The report called for revising the legal framework governing parliamentary elections to address inconsistencies and loopholes, reduce fragmentation, strengthen legal certainty, and ensure closer alignment with international standards for democratic elections. 

Ensuring consistent arrangements for maintaining transparency during the tabulation of votes at the sub-district and district levels, such as projection of data entry on screens, as well as prompt publication of complete preliminary and final election results, including online, are among the five other priority recommendations.

The report called for amending the Representation of the People Order (RPO) to include strict monitoring and enforcement measures for implementation of Article 90B(1)(b)(ii), ensuring that all political parties achieve the goal of 33% women as members of all internal party committees by 2030; and consider requiring that all political parties nominate at least one-third women candidates for national and local elections.

The report also called for promoting a safer and more transparent digital space by amending the Cyber Security Ordinance to establish binding legal obligations for social media platforms, aimed at safeguarding informational and electoral integrity.

Those obligations may encompass defined collaboration protocols, special measures around elections, algorithmic transparency, and regular reporting on content moderation activities.

In its fifth priority recommendation, the report called for reviewing and strengthening campaign finance provisions to ensure that spending limits and reporting obligations are realistic, enforceable and subject to effective verification and oversight.

The RPO could require candidates and political parties to submit audited election expenditure accounts in a standardised format, provide for systematic controls by the Election Commission during and after the campaign, and set clear deadlines for the publication of financial reports.

The report recommended considering extending eligibility for postal voting to other categories of voters in Bangladesh who are unable to cast their ballot in person on election day, such as homebound voters and persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons, migrant labourers and students, while retaining existing integrity safeguards and exploring additional ones.

Additional voting arrangements, such as early voting, suitable for enfranchising other categories of voters, could also be introduced.

The report is based on a two-month-long, country-wide observation and offers a detailed analysis and assessment of the entire electoral process.

As part of this report, the mission offered 19 recommendations aimed at reinforcing the integrity of future electoral processes, in line with Bangladesh's international commitments to democratic elections.

The mission noted several positive developments, attesting to the resilience of Bangladesh's democracy.

The renewed legal framework was largely aligned with international standards for democratic elections, the Bangladesh Election Commission (EC) worked professionally, demonstrated openness and successfully enfranchised some 770,000 voters living abroad.

The Electoral Enquiry and Adjudication Committees were proactive in upholding the campaign rules.

The mission also saw a revitalised civic space and took note of important national initiatives to counter disinformation.

The inconsistent enforcement of the EC's campaign regulations and limited accountability and oversight in campaign finance laws contributed to an uneven playing field, the EU team said.

Incidents of digital-led violence and harassment alongside inadequate police protection curbed media freedom, and social media platforms appeared ill-prepared to safeguard digital information integrity.

The EU EOM was present in Bangladesh between 28 December 2025 and 4 March 2026, at full strength, comprising 223 international observers from all EU Member States, Canada, Norway and Switzerland, deployed to all 64 administrative districts of Bangladesh.