Six international organisations, including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, have recently agreed to deploy at least 63 observers for the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections and the referendum scheduled for February 12.
With them, 330 international observers had confirmed their presence in the polls as of Saturday, according to the chief adviser’s press wing.
Quoting senior secretary and SDG coordinator Lamiya Murshed, also responsible for coordinating international observers’ visit, the press wing said, the interim government expects the number of international observers to increase, as several countries invited to send observer missions have yet to confirm the names of their delegates.
The 63 newly confirmed observers will join the observer missions from the European Union, 16 countries, and 32 individuals affiliated with various global bodies.
The number of international observers for the 12th, 11th, and 10th general elections were 158, 125, and four, respectively.
A press note issued by the press wing said on Saturday that OIC Election Observation Unit head Shakir Mahmood Bandar would lead the two-member OIC observer mission.
In addition, 28 observers will arrive from the Asian Network for Free Elections, 25 from the Commonwealth Secretariat, seven from the United States-based International Republican Institute and one from the National Democratic Institute.
Thirty-two observers representing organisations such as Voice for Justice, Democracy International, SNAS Africa, the SAARC Human Rights Foundation, and the Polish Institute of International Affairs would monitor the JS elections in their individual capacities, according to information received from the foreign affairs ministry and the Election Commission.
Invited countries yet to confirm their delegates include India, Nepal, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, France, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, and Romania.
The Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia is also expected to name its delegates soon.
In this year’s Jatiya Sangsad elections, 1,981 candidates, representing more than 50 political parties as well as independent contenders, are contesting from 300 constituencies.
