EU team seeks views on ways to ensure fair elections

Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper), The EU has been urged to press for free and fair elections in upcoming parliamentary elections in Bangladesh.

The country dubbed the “Bengal Tiger”, has been commended for its remarkable development progress in recent years.

Visible advancements have been made across various sectors and the country is on a trajectory to graduate from the UN least developed country category by 2026. It aims to achieve a developed country status by 2041.

Even so, the elections, which will take place in either December or January 2024, are seen as a key acid test of the country’s democracy.

The BNP opposition party has repeated its plan to boycott the elections “unless assurances are given” by the government that the poll will be “free and fair”.

The BNP says it is concerned that the alleged electoral fraud it claims took place in the last two parliamentary elections, in 2014 and 2018, will be repeated.

The nationalist party has itself come under fierce attack from the ruling coalition, being accused of trying to undermine the whole electoral process and some have accused its approach of being divisive.

Six months or so ahead of the election, the party set out its position with Babu Mohammed Michel, secretary general of Belgium BNP, stating that it was “committed to a transparent election.”

He also told this site that the EU has a role to play in ensuring the elections are “free and fair.”

In a sign of increased engagement with the country, he pointed to a delegation of MEPs who are in Bangladesh this week to help pave the way for the elections later this year. The cross-party group of four deputies was due to meet officials and others on the fact-finding visit.

They were joined by officials from the United States which has, of late, shown an increasing interest in Bangladeshi affairs.

The Brussels-based BNP official said that after 15 years of rule by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, it was “time for change”, adding, “Our party enjoys real public support but there was evidence of fraud at the last election and we want that to be avoided this time. We will continue to work for improved democracy in the country.”

He also voiced “concern” at the independence of the country’s Election Commission.

The European Union ambassador to Bangladesh, Charles Whiteley, recently reportedly said that free and fair elections would be a positive signal for Bangladesh for its readiness to get GSP (Generalised Scheme of Preferences) plus a facility for exports of Bangladeshi products to the European Union markets.

“If the election goes well in Bangladesh, it is a positive signal for its readiness to get the GSP plus facility,” Whiteley is reported to have said in an interview with private television Channel 24.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently announced a new visa policy to support Bangladesh’s goal of holding free, fair, and peaceful national elections.

EU member states are a major destination for the exports of Bangladeshi products, accounting for around 60 percent of the total exports.

The ruling Awami League has said that it wants the keenly awaited elections to be a “participatory” one and has called for all political parties to take part.

It says it has also sought to give assurances that the poll will be “free, credible, and fair.”

While the political parties in the country seemingly remain bitterly divided – with a regular series of claims and counterclaims – what is clear is that Bangladesh has moved up the political agenda of late and the European Union has played a significant role as a development partner for Bangladesh, extending financial aid, technical expertise, and capacity building support across diverse sectors. 

As Bangladesh continues to grow, its development in areas like digitalization, climate change adaptation, and renewable energy aligns with the EU’s green deal and digital agenda goals.

Meanwhile, it has been announced that the EU has released an additional €12.5 million to address the humanitarian needs of people in Myanmar, as well as those of Rohingya refugees and their host communities in Bangladesh and the broader region.

Food insecurity in refugee camps has reached alarming rates due to a massive funding gap that resulted in a reduction of food rations distributed to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. 

The Commission says the situation is expected to become untenable by the autumn if no additional funding is mobilized by the international community. The humanitarian situation is also worsening in Myanmar due to an escalation of the conflict and the consequences of Cyclone Mocha, which hit the country in May 2023.

Janez Lenarčič, Commissioner for Crisis Management said: “Imagine having to struggle to access food or basic health care. We cannot fathom the immeasurable suffering of vulnerable people in need in Bangladesh and Myanmar, but we can strengthen our humanitarian support to make sure their lifeline will continue. This new allocation will help respond to their most urgent needs and mitigate the consequences of the current funding gap.”

This new EU funding aims to respond to these pressing needs with an allocation of €7 million to ensure critical food assistance in Bangladesh; €4.5 million to provide food and health assistance in Myanmar and mitigate the consequences of the current funding gap; and €1 million to respond to the increasing protection needs of displaced people and refugees throughout the region, including in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and India.

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The European Union ambassador to Bangladesh, Charles Whiteley, recently reportedly said that free and fair elections would be a positive signal for Bangladesh for its readiness to get GSP (Generalised Scheme of Preferences) plus a facility for exports of Bangladeshi products to the European Union markets.

‘If the election goes well in Bangladesh, it is a positive signal for its readiness to get the GSP plus facility,’ Whiteley is reported to have said in an interview with private television Channel 24.

EU member states are now a major destination of the exports of Bangladeshi products, accounting for around 60 percent of the total exports. He mentioned that Bangladesh would have to maintain 32 conventions that included political freedom and civil and political rights to get the GSP plus facility.

His statement came days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s May 24 announcement of a new visa policy to support Bangladesh’s goal of holding free, fair, and peaceful national elections, restricting visas for any Bangladeshi individual undermining the democratic election process.

Whiteley, however, said that the EU, a bloc of 27 countries, underlined the need for political debate ahead of the upcoming elections to resolve the political crisis