Shawdesh Desk:

The US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller has said that calling for free and fair polls is not interference in internal affairs.

The United States official made the comment while responding to a question on Bangladesh from a reporter in a press briefing of the US Department of State on Monday.

Asked for comments on Russia, China and Iran’s criticism on US’ strong desire to see free, fair, and inclusive elections in Bangladesh and describing it as interference, Miller said, ‘I don’t know why anyone would object to us calling for free and fair elections.  I will note that the prime minister of Bangladesh has repeatedly stated her own commitment to free and fair elections.  It’s a desire that we share as a friend and partner of Bangladesh for over 50 years.’

‘We do not support one political party over the other; we support a genuine democratic process.  And as I said in response to another question earlier, we don’t consider it interference in internal affairs when other countries raise our elections process with us.  We welcome those discussions as an opportunity to strengthen our democracy, and we don’t know why any other countries would object,’ he said.

On July 6, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at a briefing in Moscow had said that the US initiatives over upcoming general election in Bangladesh was’an attempt at blatant interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state’whose authorities, as they understand it, had not asked for advice on how to conduct elections.

Responding to another question on the visit of the US under-secretary for civilian security, democracy, and human rights and US special coordinator for Tibetan issues Uzra Zeya and assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu, he said, ‘the under secretary will travel to Bangladesh from July 11th to the 14th.  She will meet with senior government officials to discuss shared humanitarian concerns, including the Rohingya refugee crisis, labor issues, human rights, free and fair elections, and combating trafficking in persons.  She will also engage with civil society leaders on freedom of expression and association, human labor rights – inclusive of vulnerable groups – and governance and democracy.’