By Xinhua,
Dhaka : More than 500 foreign poll observers will monitor Bangladesh’s ninth parliamentary elections scheduled on Dec. 29, a top government official said.
Foreign Adviser of the Bangladesh caretaker government IftekharAhmed Chowdhury told Xinhua on Friday, “We are viewing the presence of such a huge number of international poll observers positively.”
According to Bangladesh’s foreign ministry, there will be over 70 poll observers from some South Asian and Southeast Asian countries and around 150 observers from the European Union countries and around 200 observers from the United States.
There will also be over 80 poll observers from some other countries to monitor Bangladesh’s national election where more than 1,500 candidates are contesting for 300 seats of the ninth parliament.
Apart from this, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry said a high-powered election monitoring team from the United Nations will arrive in Dhaka one or two days before the election led by former U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan Francis Vendrell.
An Election Commission official, however, said around 182,000 poll observers of different local non-government organizations will also monitor the elections.
Regarding the presence of foreign poll observers, Chowdhury said, “It’s good to ensure a free, fair and credible election. The presence of a huge number of poll observers reflects a deep interest in Bangladesh on part of international community, which is good for us.”