Foreign observers hope polls will be free, fair<\/span><\/strong>
\nStaff Correspondent <\/span>
\nThe European Parliamentary Party, the European Union polls observation team and the National Democratic Institute on Sunday hoped that Bangladesh\u2019s ninth parliamentary polls today would be free and fair through which the people would elect a new government.
\n\u2018We hope that the best election will be held this time in Bangladesh\u2019, Charles Tannock, chairman of a 10-member delegation of the European Parliamentary Party and the EU polls observation team, told reporters after a meeting with Awami League president Sheikh Hasina at her Sudha Sadan residence.
\nHe hoped that all the political parties would accept the results of the elections. \u2018Nothing untoward\u00a0would happen in the elections\u2019, he added.
\nThe Awami League on Sunday said it was confident of winning an absolute majority in today\u2019s polls.
\nThe party\u2019s election steering committee co-chairman HT Imam expressed the optimism while talking with reporters after the meeting.
\n\u2018We, along with our allies, will win nearly 200 seats in the general elections out of 299 parliamentary constituencies [in which polls will be held today]\u2026.We are expecting an absolute majority\u2019, Imam said.
\n\u2018The EPP team wanted to have Sheikh Hasina\u2019s opinion about the elections and she told them she was satisfied with the voter list and the transparent ballot boxes to be used in the polls\u2019, Imam said.
\nImam, also a former cabinet secretary, said the AL had appraised the EPP delegation of its stance on the election observation. \u2018We believe there should be international polls observers before, during and after the polls.\u2019
\nHe said that at the meeting the AL had also expressed its reservations about some local poll monitoring groups in which there were some identified terrorists.
\nEarlier in the morning, a seven-member delegation of the International Republican Institute led by Cherry Newman, its special councillor on African affairs, and a three-member team of the British Parliamentary Board headed by Baroness Paula Manzila Uddin called on Hasina. They also hoped that the election in Bangladesh would be held in a free, fair and peaceful manner without any trouble.
\nBritish high commissioner in Bangladesh Stephen Evans was present with the delegation.
\nIn the afternoon, a seven-member team of US-based NDI led by Howard B Schaffer met the AL chief at her Sudha Sadan residence.
\n\u2018We saw in 2001 how harmful the local election observers can be for the country and we request all foreign election observers to be more vigilant this time to ensure a free and fair election\u2019, Imam said.
\nHe said the NDI team had appreciated the positive campaigns and remarks of Sheikh Hasina.
\nSchaffer said they hoped that all the political parties would accept the results of the elections and stressed the need for active participation of the opposition parties after the polls in order to make the new parliament effective.
\nFormer ambassadors Mohammad Zamir and Ziauddin Ahmed were present at the meetings.<\/p>\n

Courtesy: newagebd.com<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Foreign observers hope polls will be free, fair Staff Correspondent The European Parliamentary Party, the European Union polls observation team and the National Democratic Institute on Sunday hoped that Bangladesh\u2019s ninth parliamentary polls today would be free and fair through which the people would elect a new government. \u2018We hope that the best election will … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n