Shawdesh Desk:

Former US assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs Karl F Inderfurth on Sunday said that the international community plays an important role in supporting Bangladesh as it prepares for the elections.

‘We are here to listen to a variety of actors and show our support for a transparent and inclusive electoral process,’ he said as a joint NDI-IRI mission began assessing the status of election preparations.

The team is scheduled to have a meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at 2:00pm on Sunday.

The joint International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute pre-election assessment mission arrived in Bangladesh to follow electoral preparations and conduct an independent and impartial assessment.

From October 8 to 12, the six-member delegation will meet with a diverse group of election stakeholders including government officials, political party leaders, election authorities, civil society, and others.

The delegation is co-chaired by Inderfurth and Bonnie Glick, former Deputy USAID administrator; and includes Maria Chin Abdullah, former Member of the House of Representatives, Malaysia, Jamil Jaffer, former Associate Counsel to the President of the United States, Manpreet Singh Anand, NDI Regional Director for Asia-Pacific, and Johanna Kao, IRI Senior Director, Asia-Pacific Division.

‘This joint pre-election assessment mission demonstrates our interest and support for democracy in Bangladesh,’ said Bonnie Glick.

‘We look forward to meeting with key stakeholders and to provide independent, impartial, and timely analysis as the country heads to the polls,’ Glick added.

The delegation will conduct its assessment in accordance with the laws of Bangladesh and consistent with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation which was signed in 2005 at the United Nations.

Following the conclusion of its activities, the delegation will release a statement of its key findings, analysis of the pre-election environment, and practical recommendations to enhance the credibility of the process and citizen confidence in the elections.

NDI and IRI are nonpartisan, nongovernmental organizations that support and strengthen democratic institutions and practices worldwide.

The Institutes have collectively observed more than 200 elections in more than 50 countries over the last 30 years.