A total of 394 foreign election observers and 197 international journalists have arrived in Bangladesh to monitor the country’s 13th National Parliamentary Election and the referendum on the July National Charter, both scheduled to be held on Thursday.
According to the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing, of the foreign observers, 80 represent global organisations, 239 come from bilateral countries, including independent European observers, and 51 are individuals affiliated with various international institutions.
The number of foreign observers for this election is more than double that of the controversial 7 January 2024 polls. By comparison, the 12th, 11th and 10th general elections were monitored by 158, 125 and just four international observers, respectively.
Key organisations sending observers include the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) with 28 monitors, the Commonwealth Secretariat with 27, the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) with 19 and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) with one. Other groups include the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) and the European External Action Service.
Observers are also arriving from 21 countries, including Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Jordan, Turkiye, Iran, Georgia, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, South Africa and Nigeria.
Additionally, 51 observers from organisations such as Voice for Justice, Democracy International, SNAS Africa, the SAARC Human Rights Foundation and the Polish Institute of International Affairs will monitor the polls in their individual capacities.
Senior Secretary and SDGs Affairs Principal Coordinator Lamiya Morshed said the large and high-quality international participation reflects global confidence in Bangladesh’s interim government to conduct a free, fair and credible election.
She noted that many observers bring extensive experience and expertise in election monitoring worldwide.
Notable participants include former Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, Bhutan’s Chief Election Commissioner Deki Pema, former Turkish Ambassador Mehmet Vakur Erkul, UK Lord Richard Newby, Malaysian election official Ramlan Bir Harun and Iranian parliamentarian Behnam Saeedi.
Over 2,000 candidates from more than 50 political parties, along with independent contenders, are contesting the parliamentary seats.
Voting will also include a simultaneous referendum on the July National Charter.
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