European envoys convey what they want to see from Bangladesh election

The chiefs of the European missions in Dhaka have called upon the government, the Election Commission and all stakeholders to ensure a "genuine, credible, inclusive and transparent" electoral process.

They issued a joint statement on Monday stating what they want to see before the Dec 30 election as the formal campaign period begins.

The signatories to the statement are: Head of the EU delegation Ambassador Rensje Teerink, British High Commissioner Alison Blake, Italian Ambassador Mario Palma, Spanish Ambassador D Álvaro de Salas Giménez de Azcárate, Swedish Ambassador Charlotta Schlyter, French Ambassador Marie-Annick Bourdin, German Ambassador Peter Fahrenholtz, Netherlands Ambassador-designate Harry Verweij, Danish Ambassador Winnie Estrup Petersen, Norwegian Ambassador Sidsel Bleken and Switzerland Ambassador René Holenstein.

They urged all stakeholders "to uphold and protect the citizens' rights to universal suffrage, freedom of expression and right to peaceful assembly and welcome the commitments made by the Bangladesh Election Commission and the government in this respect."

They urged all political parties to meet their democratic responsibilities and to refrain from violence and law enforcement agencies to strictly adhere to the rule of law.

"Media and civil society scrutiny is particularly important in ensuring transparency throughout this process,” read the statement.

“Participatory elections constitute an important step in the ongoing process of national development for all Bangladeshi citizens.”