The European Union Election Observation Mission to Bangladesh on Sunday said that they expected that the forthcoming general elections in the country would be inclusive and participatory.
Addressing a press conference in the capital Dhaka, the EU Election Observation Mission chief observer Ivars Ijabs said that the elections would be a significant milestone for Bangladesh’s democratic journey and the polls would fortify democracy.
‘I think the inclusive means, from our perspective, the inclusion of all social groups of Bangladesh citizens — groups like women, like ethnic and religious minorities, and also the regional groups to participate. And participatory election means credible voters’ turnout in the elections,’ said Ivars, responding to a question.
He also said that such participation would signal that Bangladeshi citizens were actively engaging in the democratic process to decide their own future.
In response to an invitation by the Bangladesh authorities, the EU has deployed an Election Observation Mission for the parliamentary elections scheduled for February 12.
The EU Election Observation Mission, led by chief observer Ivars Ijabs, a member of the European Parliament from Latvia, commenced its activities in late December 2025 and on Sunday it scaled up with the arrival of 56 long-term observers, who will be deployed to all 64 administrative districts of Bangladesh.
The EU chief observer said that the political parties in the country wanted impartiality of the administration during the polls.
The central issue is to bring back trust and confidence of the citizens, he added.
This is the first fully-fledged election observer mission the EU has deployed in Bangladesh since 2008, according to the EOM.
‘This Election Observation Mission reaffirms the importance the European Union attaches to the partnership with Bangladesh, built on mutual respect and shared commitment to democratic principles,’ Ivars told the press conference at a hotel in the capital.
He said that this was his first visit to the country where he had already met with a wide range of electoral stakeholders to receive first-hand information on the unfolding electoral process.
In the course of its work, the mission would engage with the election administration, political parties, the judiciary, the civil society and the media, to observe and analyse various aspects of the process such as election preparations, the legal framework and its implementation, the conduct of campaign and electoral dispute resolution, the EU EOM chief spelled out their mandate.
The mission would, he mentioned, also assess the overall space for political and civic participation, including for women, youth and other vulnerable groups.
The EU EOM has dedicated media and social media monitoring units, to weigh the degree to which those channels helped voters to make a well-informed choice, he said.
Overall, the EU EOM will assess the extent to which elections are conducted in compliance with national law, as well as with the regional and international standards for democratic elections Bangladesh has adopted, according to the EOM.
‘Our technical assessment of these elections is guided by three core principles: independence, impartiality and non-interference. We will employ a robust, well-established methodology of long-term, nationwide observation. We will observe the process but will not certify the results. These elections belong solely to the people of Bangladesh,’ Ivars mentioned.
At the full strength, the mission will comprise about 200 observers from all 27 EU member states, as well as Canada, Norway and Switzerland, according to the EOM chief.
He announced that two days after the elections, on February 14, the EU EOM will issue a preliminary statement and hold a press conference in Dhaka.
A comprehensive final report, including recommendations for future elections, will be published and presented to the authorities about two months later, he added.
