EC Sanaullah expects ‘record number' of international observers to oversee election

There are a sufficient number of citizen observers within the country and the EC will hold talks with them on Nov 25, he says

Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah has expressed hope that a record number of international observers will oversee the upcoming parliamentary election, slated for February next year.

The election will mark the "re-commencement of the country's democratic journey", he said while speaking at the inaugural session of a workshop organised by the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) at a hotel in Dhaka’s Gulshan on Saturday.

"Usually, many observers come from abroad for inclusive elections. We hope there will be a record number of foreign observers in this election," he said.

“They will be a part of the historic re-commencement of Bangladesh’s democratic journey.”

The election commissioner said that international observers will begin arriving after the election schedule is announced. "Any foreign national can apply to be an observer through their embassy. We will screen and forward their applications to the foreign ministry."

On the limitations in nominating local observers, he said: "Those who were involved in observing the last three national elections and had given them legitimacy -- unfortunately, we couldn't take them."

"However, we initially received more than 300 applications expressing interest in observing the election, and we thoroughly verified their credentials. Approximately 80 organisations will serve as observers in the upcoming election. This is a good number. The number of observers in previous elections rarely exceeded this figure."

He pointed out that generally, up to 200,000 citizen observers remain present nationwide during inclusive and competitive elections. "This is a good number because we have about 42,700 polling centres. Having at least one observer at every centre is an expression of capability."

"We have a sufficient number of citizen observers within our country, and we will hold a discussion with them on the 25th of November. We want to utilise them for the improvement of the future election process."

Sanaullah said the minimum age for local observers was lowered from 24 to 21 at the request of partner organisations. "We felt they might have a lack of experience. Considering this, we will arrange training for them as needed."

He noted that the Election Commission is making its maximum effort to make the election inclusive. "The EC views the misuse of artificial intelligence and combating misinformation and disinformation on social media as major challenges. However, with everyone's cooperation, a free and fair election is possible."

The ANFREL organised the workshop to facilitate the exchange of experiences between election experts from the Bangladesh EC and other countries, including Thailand, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines.