Prime Minister's ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy has said the US-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) tried to appoint an organization, led by a person who served as a deputy attorney general during BNP’s rule, as election observer.
According to him, “this was in violation of our Electoral Code as you cannot have election observers who are affiliated with any political party.”
He said: "Trying to appoint an opposition leader and his organisation as election monitors demonstrates a clear bias on the part of NDI and ANFREL (Asian Network for Free Elections)."
Joy, the son of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, made this remark in a post shared on his verified Facebook page on Monday night, adding that this goes against every measure of fairness, reports UNB.
"You cannot have election observers who are affiliated with any political party. They were under ANFREL's delegation and they were denied visas by the Election Commission," he added.
He said the remaining ANFREL delegation members were provided visas and observed the elections.
"ANFREL was the only one to issue a biased statement on the pre-election environment even before the voting began," he added.
He said: "They have not issued a statement regarding the actual voting itself at all, like the other foreign observer missions have."
Joy said western media such as CNN, BBC News and others have as usual completely ignored Bangladeshi news reports, all their partys' and the Election Commission's statements, as well as the reports of all foreign observers.
He said the only things they have reported on are the few irregularities which have already been dealt with, the opposition's false allegations and the biased statements from ANFREL and the US Embassy in Dhaka regarding denial of visas for the ANFREL delegation.
"This is very disappointing and unfair," he said.
Almost all foreign observers, Joy said, have issued statements that the election was orderly, fair and mostly peaceful.
