bdnews24.com :
The Election Commission has registered Bangladeshi staff members of 10 diplomatic missions in Dhaka as foreign observers for the city polls flouting guidelines in a move that has raised eyebrows.
The guidelines state that Bangladeshi officials of the foreign missions or international organisations shall be accredited as local elections observers.
But as many as 28 are Bangladeshi citizens on an EC list of 74 foreign observers working in the foreign missions.
The Bangladeshi “foreign observers” include nine staff members of the US Embassy, seven of the British High Commission, four of the Switzerland Embassy, two of each of the Japanese Embassy, Norway Embassy, and Canadian High Commission, and one each of the Netherlands Embassy and Denmark Embassy.
The EC has also accredited 1,023 Bangladeshis of 11 election monitoring organisations as local observers.
Former election commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain said it was a mistake to register Bangladeshis as foreign observers.
“The members of the election observation agencies are trained for the job and they follow a plan. But why will the local officials of the foreign missions observe polls? There can be shortcomings in their observations,” he said.
Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda, for his part, said they would keep an eye on the Bangladeshi observers of the foreign missions.
“They have permission. They had observed the elections to Gazipur and other city corporations. Of course we will have control over them. We will remain alert so that they do not act beyond the guidelines,” he told reporters.
People related with election observation said foreign mission heads and officials observing polls in Bangladesh along with election observation agencies is a rare practice in the world.
The government and the ruling Awami League have also expressed displeasure over the activities of the foreign diplomats and observers accusing them of poking nose in Bangladesh’s internal matters.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen even suggested that the diplomats will be “asked to leave the country if they don’t follow the code of conduct”.
HT Imam, the co-chairman of the Awami League’s committee on the elections, warned foreign observers against “overstepping the line” during the ballot.
The rules for diplomats do not apply to foreign mission officials accredited as observers, he said after a meeting with the CEC.
“There is no reason to think that they can go anywhere and do anything,” Imam added.
The Election Commission has registered Bangladeshi staff members of 10 diplomatic missions in Dhaka as foreign observers for the city polls flouting guidelines in a move that has raised eyebrows.
The guidelines state that Bangladeshi officials of the foreign missions or international organisations shall be accredited as local elections observers.
But as many as 28 are Bangladeshi citizens on an EC list of 74 foreign observers working in the foreign missions.
The Bangladeshi “foreign observers” include nine staff members of the US Embassy, seven of the British High Commission, four of the Switzerland Embassy, two of each of the Japanese Embassy, Norway Embassy, and Canadian High Commission, and one each of the Netherlands Embassy and Denmark Embassy.
The EC has also accredited 1,023 Bangladeshis of 11 election monitoring organisations as local observers.
Former election commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain said it was a mistake to register Bangladeshis as foreign observers.
“The members of the election observation agencies are trained for the job and they follow a plan. But why will the local officials of the foreign missions observe polls? There can be shortcomings in their observations,” he said.
Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda, for his part, said they would keep an eye on the Bangladeshi observers of the foreign missions.
“They have permission. They had observed the elections to Gazipur and other city corporations. Of course we will have control over them. We will remain alert so that they do not act beyond the guidelines,” he told reporters.
People related with election observation said foreign mission heads and officials observing polls in Bangladesh along with election observation agencies is a rare practice in the world.
The government and the ruling Awami League have also expressed displeasure over the activities of the foreign diplomats and observers accusing them of poking nose in Bangladesh’s internal matters.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen even suggested that the diplomats will be “asked to leave the country if they don’t follow the code of conduct”.
HT Imam, the co-chairman of the Awami League’s committee on the elections, warned foreign observers against “overstepping the line” during the ballot.
The rules for diplomats do not apply to foreign mission officials accredited as observers, he said after a meeting with the CEC.
“There is no reason to think that they can go anywhere and do anything,” Imam added.
