Three election commission members from India reach Dhaka to observe January 7 Bangla polls

Dhaka, Jan 5: More than 100 foreign observers, including three from India, reached Dhaka on Friday to monitor Sunday’s general election in Bangladesh boycotted by the main Opposition party which has called for a 48-hour nationwide general strike. Foreign Ministry officials said a three-member delegation from the Election Commission of India reached Dhaka on Friday while 122 others from different countries were set to be here ahead of the January 7 polls, which the United Nations said would watch closely.
“So far 60 foreign observers or experts have arrived here and all together 127 have scheduled to come. Besides, 73 foreign journalists have received accreditations and among them, 17 have already arrived,” Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen told reporters late Thursday. He said the observers will monitor the polls in the capital Dhaka and elsewhere in the country. “But we have suggested to them that they choose the destinations having air connectivity (for convenience),” the foreign secretary said. The Commonwealth has sent a 17-member team, the largest among foreign observers. The other poll observers included members from the European Union, the Commonwealth, the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI), the South Asia Democratic Forum (SADF), and other reputable organisations.
A United Nations spokesperson on Thursday said the UN was “watching the (polls) process closely, and we hope that all the elections happen in a transparent and organised manner” but said the global body did not have any comment on the election boycott by the Opposition.
The daylong voting will start simultaneously in 299 parliamentary constituencies across Bangladesh on Sunday. Election in one constituency was postponed after an independent candidate died of natural causes. Some 1,519 candidates from 27 political parties are contesting in the election. Besides, there are 404 independent candidates. A total of 119.1 million registered voters are eligible to vote at Sunday’s polls in more than 42,000 polling stations, according to the election commission.
The election commission said it expected the results to start flowing from early on January 8.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ruling Awami League is expected to win for a straight fourth time as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former premier Khaleda Zia, who is effectively under house arrest as a convict of graft charges, boycotted the polls.
The polls, however, are contested by 27 political parties, including the parliamentary opposition Jatiya Party (JAPA). The rest are members of the ruling Awami League-led coalition which experts dub as “satellite parties.” As part of its vote boycott campaign, BNP on Thursday called a 48-hour countrywide general strike from 6 am on January 6 to 6 am on January 8 as the party has been claiming no election under the incumbent government would be fair and credible. (PTI)