The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) on Saturday, January 17, deployed 56 long-term observers (LTOs) across all 64 districts of Bangladesh to monitor the parliamentary elections scheduled for February 12.
"The long-term observers are a critical element of our mission. The observations and insights will ground our impartial and fact-based evaluation of the electoral process," said the Deputy Chief Observer, Inta Lase, at a brief ceremony before the deployment at a hotel in Dhaka.
The EU EOM follows a robust and well-established methodology of long-term, nationwide observation to ensure a balanced and thorough assessment of the electoral process.
The long-term observers will closely monitor key aspects of the election at the regional level and support the analysis of the core expert team based in Dhaka.
"Our observers will work in teams of two and in their areas of observation they will meet voters, election officials, candidates and political parties, as well as citizen observers and youth activists not only in the cities, but also in small towns and villages," said the Deputy Chief Observer, Inta Lase.
The observers have been drawn from EU Member States, Canada, Norway and Switzerland. Before deployment, they received extensive briefings on the electoral process, the political environment, the legal framework, and the media and social landscapes in Bangladesh.
The mission was deployed following an invitation from the authorities of Bangladesh and is led by Chief Observer Mr. Ivars Ijabs, a Member of the European Parliament, who officially launched the mission at a press conference on January 11 in Dhaka.
As election day approaches, the mission will be reinforced by 90 short-term observers, along with observers from diplomatic missions of EU Member States, Canada, Norway and Switzerland, to observe voting, counting and tabulation processes.
A delegation of Members of the European Parliament will also join the mission.
At full strength, the EU EOM will comprise 200 observers from all 27 EU member states, Canada, Norway and Switzerland.
The EU EOM will present its preliminary findings at a press conference on February 14 in Dhaka.
A final report with recommendations for future electoral processes will be submitted to the authorities after completion of the entire electoral process.
Both documents will be made public and published on the Mission's website.
The EU EOM operates under a strict code of conduct requiring neutrality and non-interference and conducts its activities in line with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation endorsed under United Nations auspices in 2005, said the EU officials.
Source: BSS