Bangladesh’s 13th national parliamentary election, held alongside a referendum on the July National Charter, saw a peaceful voting process and strong voter enthusiasm, according to foreign election observers.
The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) reported “positive enthusiasm” among voters by noon on election day on Thursday.
EU Chief Observer Ivars Ijabs, who visited the Curzon Hall polling centre at the University of Dhaka, said: “Up until noon today (Thursday), we have seen positive enthusiasm for participation among Bangladeshi citizens.”
He added that the mission remains neutral and will release a preliminary report on Saturday.
Former Ghana president Nana Akufo-Addo, chairperson of the Commonwealth Observer Group, observed polls at the Viqarunnisa Noon School and College in Dhaka.
He said his team was observing the entire process, from the opening of polling stations to the result management processes.
“The inclusion of diaspora voters and the simultaneous referendum reflects a strong commitment to democratic processes,” he added.
The Commonwealth Observer Group was deployed across eight divisions ahead of polling, where it met local stakeholders and reviewed pre-election arrangements. Its preliminary report is also expected on Saturday.
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) praised Bangladeshi voters for participating in a “peaceful and orderly” election and acknowledged the efforts of the Election Commission, polling officials, security personnel and volunteers nationwide.
ANFREL observers monitored 414 polling stations across all eight divisions, covering 71% of the country’s districts. Their full report will be launched on Sunday.
In total, 394 international election observers and 197 foreign journalists arrived in Bangladesh to monitor the election and referendum, which took place from 7:30am to 4:30am on Thursday.
Among them, 80 represent international organisations, 239 come from bilateral countries (including independent European observers), and 51 are individuals from global institutions.
The number of observers is more than double that of the controversial January 7, 2024 election.
Major observer groups include ANFREL (28), the Commonwealth Secretariat (27), the International Republican Institute (19) and the National Democratic Institute (1). Observers also came from 21 countries, including Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Türkiye, China, Japan and South Korea. Some individuals from organisations such as Voice for Justice, Democracy International and the SAARC Human Rights Foundation monitored the polls in their personal capacity.
