Commonwealth keen to support Bangladesh elections: Badiul Alam Majumdar
The Commonwealth is keen to support Bangladesh for holding a free and fair election, said Badiul Alam Majumdar, head of the Electoral System Reform Commission.
After a meeting of the commission today (19 November) with a five-member Commonwealth delegation at the Election Building in Agargaon in the capital, Badiul told reporters that the Commonwealth expressed interest in getting to know about the country's electoral system.
"They want to help ensure a fair and impartial election in our country," he added.
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The delegation, led by Commonwealth Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) Prof Luis Gabriel Franceschi, is on a four-day visit to Bangladesh to hold discussions with various dignitaries of the interim government.
Earlier, Franceschi reiterated the Commonwealth's commitment to collaborating with Bangladesh's interim government to establish a "discrimination-free, inclusive, and prosperous" society.
He lauded the interim government's efforts towards democratic reform and assured full support from the Commonwealth for ongoing reform initiatives, including those focused on electoral process improvements.
He said today, "We always visit countries to learn, listen, and support their needs. We make recommendations and help implement them. [Today] We had a good discussion with the electoral commission.
"We have a wonderful team here to work with the reform initiatives. If the reforms are implemented, Bangladesh will be a success story for the Commonwealth," he said.
Asked if they have any specific recommendations or not, Franceschi said it will come from the commission. "We can help them. [But] We are not here to solve problems."
Mentioning there are 2.7 billion people in the 56 Commonwealth countries, he said everyone looks forward to free, fair and transparent elections.
"I think it can be a [good] lesson [for other countries as well]. We can help Bangladesh by sharing experiences from other countries and Bangladesh can help other countries in the same way. I think the goal is free, fair and transparent elections, where people's opinion will be reflected," he said.
