Foreign diplomats in their meeting with the Election Commission today are likely to emphasise on holding a dialogue between the major parties in Bangladesh to hold free, fair and credible elections.
The EC has called an emergency meeting with foreign diplomats of 14 countries and donor agencies on August 27 to discuss resolving the crisis regarding the next parliamentary elections.
Japan embassy’s Counsellor Masayuki Taga on Monday told the Dhaka Tribune over phone that the next parliament election must be free, fair and credible.
“It must also be an all-party election,” said the diplomat of Japan, the biggest bilateral development partner of Bangladesh.
Subscribing to the same view, Press and Information Officer of the US Embassy in Dhaka, Kelly McCarthy told the Dhaka Tribune through an email on Monday, “We have repeatedly urged leaders of the major parties in Bangladesh to come together and agree on a way forward that will ensure free, fair, and credible elections in the coming months.”
“What the way forward looks like, is for the parties of Bangladesh to decide,” she said.
The EC invited ambassadors and donor agencies from the USA, the UK, Canada, Germany, Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, United nations/UNDP and European Union.
When contacted, the Australian High Commission denied providing any public statements prior to the meeting between diplomats and the EC.
“Moreover we are still working on issues which can be discussed in the Election Commission’s meeting,” Research and Communications Officer of the Australian High Commission Fairooz Nigar Aditi told the Dhaka Tribune through an email.
The agenda of the EC meeting includes election methods, stance of diplomats regarding the next general elections, election preparations, solving the political crisis, discussion on holding election under the incumbent EC and reforms of electoral laws.
Canadian High Commission declined to make any comment on the meeting.
However, on June 16 at a meet the press programme, Canadian high Commissioner to Bangladesh Heather said that Canada would suggest Bangladesh follow the UN recommendations of forming a small negotiating team that comes up with political solutions through discussions in and out of parliament.
If a solution was found, amendments to the constitution could be made, the ambassador suggested.
On Friday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon called Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition chief Khaleda Zia and urged them to sit for dialogues to ensure that all parties participate in the next parliamentary elections.
In May, the European Union urged all political parties to engage in constructive discussions, at the earliest opportunity, so that the country could find a way forward towards free, fair and credible elections.
“They (EU members) called on the main parties to engage in constructive dialogues, inside and outside the parliament,” EU ambassador to Dhaka William Hanna said at a press briefing in May.
The representatives of the EU missions expressed deep concern over the excessive level of confrontation in Bangladesh, Hanna said.
