IRI, NDI technical assessment team arrives in Bangladesh ahead of polls

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI) joint team arrived in Bangladesh last week to conduct a limited technical assessment of the polls environment.

The team includes five long-term analysts, who have received accreditation from the Election Commission and will stay in Bangladesh for six to eight weeks, reports the IRI.

The team will assess different types of election violence, including inter and intra-party violence, violence targeting women and other marginalised groups, and online harassment and threats, as well as the role of state institutions in addressing these types of violence, in order to evaluate the drivers and implications of election violence during the election cycle, said the IRI on Saturday (23 December).

After concluding the electoral process, the IRI and NDI will present a technical assessment report on electoral violence along with constructive recommendations to reduce violence in future elections.

The deployment follows a joint pre-election assessment mission (PEAM) that NDI and IRI conducted from 8 to 11 October. 

The observations from the PEAM informed the structure and scope of the technical assessment, which is being conducted in accordance with the laws of Bangladesh and consistent with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, which was endorsed in 2005 at the United Nations.

Meanwhile, MoFA Spokesperson Seheli Sabrin in a weekly briefing on Thursday said nine countries have confirmed to observe the 12th national elections scheduled for January 7.

India, Sri Lanka, China, Russia, Japan, Uzbekistan, Mauritius, Georgia and Palestine are sending observers, she said.

On the other hand, the OIC, Commonwealth and the Arab Parliament will also observe the elections, she mentioned.

A four-member EU expert panel is already in Dhaka to observe the election.