European Union”s election observers endorsed the outcome of the December 29 parliament elections in Bangladesh as an apparent reflection of Bangladeshi people”s will for democratic transition, reports UNB.
"Minor technical difficul-ties aside, professionalism, transparency and credibility were the hall-marks of this election…Our observers did not report patterns of fraud in the process," chief EU election observer Alexander Lambsdorff told a media conference at the Sheraton Hotel Wednesday, releasing the preliminary statement on the crucial election.
Lambsdorff, who led a contingent of 150 European Observers, said these elections marked an important step in the restoration of democratic governance in Bangladesh.
Asked about BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia”s question about the credibility of 80 percent turnout when she found many centers empty in the afternoon, he said he saw long queues of voters in the morning and less in the afternoon in urban centres. But in rural areas this was reverse.
He found long queues of voters, particularly female voters, in the afternoon in rural areas. So, he said, the turnout figure is not exaggerated and her observation cannot be sustained.
About BNP complaint of irregularities in 222 polling centres in 72 constituencies, Lambsdorff said they would gladly investigate the allegations with evidence but noted minor irregularities in 222 centres out of 35,216 do not call the overall results into question.
Asked about Khaleda”s allegation of blueprint election, he said the EU observation mission did not find any pattern of fraud.
He said in the centres he visited he found presence of more than 92 percent of Awami League polling agents and 87 percent of BNP”s. During the counting, 97 percent agents were present, but result sheets were signed by 82 percent party agents.
He said the Election Commission deserves high numbers and the credibility of the results is very high.
Asked whether they would look into post-election violence as some incidents already took place at several places, he said EU long-term observers headed by deputy chief observer Grahama Elson would be staying here till mid-January to look into this.
Apart from observers, Ambassadors of the EU countries were present at the briefing.
Commonwealth Observer Group for Bangladesh parliamentary elections Wednesday did not find any evidence to justify BNP”s claim that Monday”s parliament election was under a "blueprint".
Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group Cassem Uteem came up with this view at a press conference at Sonargaon Hotel while giving an official statement on the 9th Parliamentary elections.
"We don”t have any evidence of election engineering; I believe that other national and international observers also did not find such evidence," he said.
Responding to a question, Uteem hoped that the opposition in the new parliament will play their democratic role for the welfare of the society with constructive criticism. "Our hope is that winner and losers will work together for the country," he said.
In the statement, Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group said that the 29th December”s parliamentary elections have been of crucial importance for Bangladesh and an integral element in the on-going efforts to improve democratic governance in the country.
"As a result of the elections, democratic life in the country can be resumed and the parliament re-constituted, nearly two years after the imposition of the state of emergency," he added.
The statement said the elections had been credible, meeting many of the key benchmarks for democratic elections, and represented a crucial step in the continuing effort to strengthen democracy and improve governance in the country.
Uteem said: "It is a time for leaders on all sides to grasp this opportunity and display statesmanship, with political forces, whether they are a future government or opposition, working in a sprit of mutual respect and co-operation to address the challenges facing the country."
In their key findings, the Commonwealth Observer Group found that the 29th December elections in Bangladesh for the 9th Parliament have been competitive and inclusive, with many of the basic rights and freedoms provided, once the state of emergency had been fully lifted.
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) Wednesday said the Dec 29 election was conducted with credibility and they do not believe some isolated breaches of electoral laws affected the overall poll process.
"Our observers have reported some isolated breaches of electoral laws, but we don”t believe these incidents affected the overall election process," said ANFREL head of mission Damaso Magbual.
Reports from ANFREL”s 70 international observers, deployed throughout the country, indicate that the Dec 29 election process was conducted with integrity and credibility.
ANFREL appreciated the people of Bangladesh for holding successful elections to the 9th Jatiya Sangsad and moving together towards a new era of democracy and development.
"We commend the measures taken by the Bangladesh Election Commission (BEC), the Care-Taker Government (CTG), civil society groups and other stakeholders."
They fostered a peaceful and inclusive election environment which attracted a strong and enthusiastic voter turnout, ANFREL said.
It recognizes that great strides have been taken by the caretaker government in amending the existing laws and introducing new laws, including a strict code of conduct and nomination procedures.
These measures, combined with the lifting of state of emergency, set the framework for a conducive-election environment.
ANFREL said campaigning was largely peaceful and most candidates adhered to the Election Commission code of conduct.
There were isolated incidents of clashes between party supporters and violations of the code of conduct, but such incidents did not disrupt the election process.
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