Do not hire politically linked individuals to monitor polls: CEC to local observer orgs

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin today (25 November) called on local election observation organisations not to appoint any person involved in politics or any party in order to ensure their neutral role in the upcoming national election.

"Please make sure that your people are totally impartial," he said while chairing a discussion with local election observer groups at Nirbachan Bhaban.

The discussion began at 10:35am as part of the commission's ongoing dialogue with stakeholders ahead of the next national election, expected to be held in early February 2026. Election commissioners Abdur Rahmanel Masud, Begum Tahmida Ahmad, Md Anwarul Islam Sarker and Brig Gen (Retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah were present.

The CEC said Bangladeshis are highly politically conscious, and therefore any observer who becomes politically involved during the election would "damage everything."

"Please check whether those you appoint have any political involvement or have any link or connection with any party. If they have participated in political programmes, processions or meetings, please do not appoint them," he said.

He said the Election Commission wants the observers as partners to deliver a fair and credible election to the nation. "We have promised the nation that we would deliver a fair, beautiful and credible election to the nation. The Election Commission alone cannot ensure this. We all must work together for it," he added.

Talking about past observer organisations, the CEC said he does not want to revisit past controversies. "I do not want to dig into the past. I always want to look ahead. Mistakes may have happened for various reasons. Let us forget about it. Rather, we should take lessons from the past and move forward."

But he warned that the reputation of observer organisations will be at stake if their field-level staff fail to perform responsibly. "Reports submitted by observers must be based on reality," Nasir said.

He said the organisations must take responsibility to monitor whether their field-level observers are reporting properly. "If any report comes that your observer is working in favour of a political party or influencing the process, this will cause a great damage to your reputation. So please ensure they remain totally impartial," he said.

The CEC said the commission's sole agenda is to deliver a "credible, transparent and fair election."

Describing the observers and journalists as CCTV cameras for the EC, he said, "If they keep watch, no one will dare to commit irregularities. Your role is very important. You have a very important role to play."

He reminded organisations that observers must not engage in any election campaigning or influence the vote in any way. "Their duty is just to observe, not to intervene. If they see an irregularity, it is their duty to report it, not to intervene or stop it."

Observer orgs demand security, training for election monitors

At the discussion, observer organisations demanded security and training for election monitors during polls.

Rabeya Begum, executive director of Shariatpur Development Society, said, "The referendum and the national election will be held on the same day. Therefore, proper training for observers is essential. 

"If the Election Commission arranges training for three persons from each observer organisation, they can then disseminate that training within their respective organisations."

Commenting that the 2014, 2018, and 2024 elections were widely criticised as one-sided, BSERI Chairman Mohammad Jasim Uddin said, "Our expectation is that in the 2026 election, no one should be able to point fingers and claim that the Election Commission manipulated or acted unjustly."

Khan Foundation's Executive Director and Supreme Court lawyer Roksana Khondoker, speaking on observer security, said, "Ensuring observers' security is essential. Candidates often perceive observers as opponents, which is why their security is important. We want everyone to play their role for a fair election." 

They also demanded that if the referendum and national election are held on the same day, observers must be briefed on the counting method. They called for army deployment for 10 days before and after the vote, and for observer organisations to receive ID accreditation at least three days before election day.

Election Commissioner Sanaaullah outlined various aspects of the observation guidelines. On the matter of observer security, he said, "Security for observers has come up in discussions. One point is security, another is the security of the area. You, I, and everyone fall under the general security of the area. 

"The state does not have the capacity to provide personal security to each observer. Assigning a gunman to every individual is not possible. It's not feasible, and it's not practical."

He added, "Observers should remain safe within the existing environment. If any harmful incident occurs, we will address it. Observers should not endanger themselves. They should not go to places where they have no reason to be. They must stay within their work domain."

Today, the EC held two separate discussions: one with 40 observer organisations in the morning and another with 41 organisations from 2pm.

Besides, the commission is going to sit for its second discussion with top representatives of law enforcement agencies, including the armed forces, on 27 November and with top government officials on 30 November.

The meeting with law enforcement agencies is likely to focus on the deployment of security personnel in every constituency, including polling stations, their coordination among law enforcement members and the EC's instructions to ensure security during the upcoming election.

Earlier, the EC held dialogues with 47 registered political parties, including the BNP, Jamaat and National Citizen Party (NCP) on 13, 16, 17 and 19 November.

In late September, the commission opened a series of electoral dialogues with different stakeholders amid talks with civil society representatives on 28 September.

Later, the EC held separate dialogues with representatives of teachers, senior journalists from different media outlets, election experts and election observers.

The commission is likely to announce the schedule in early December for holding the next general election in the first half of February 2026.