Dhaka: Expressing disappointment at US’s recent statement, Bangladesh on Sunday said the decision of ANFREL to cancel its observation mission is entirely their own despite the fact that nearly half of its applicants have already been approved and the rest is under process.

‘Bangladesh is disheartened to see a press statement issued by the United States Department of State on the upcoming national parliamentary elections to be held in a festive atmosphere on December 30 2018, which is being participated by all registered political parties in the country,’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a statement, reports the UNB.

The election is being conducted by the Bangladesh Election Commission, which is a constitutional body and independent in the exercise of its functions, said the MoFA. 

‘Odhikar’, an NGO of Bangladesh, is the founding member of ANFREL. ‘Odhikar is widely known for its disproportionate bias and prejudice against Bangladesh, in particular the government of Awami League, which is evident in its various reports, including the recent ones published in October and December 2018.’

Besides, according to MoFA statement, one of the top-ranking Bangladesh members of ‘Odhikar’ was earlier appointed by the BNP-Jamaat government as the Deputy Attorney General, which provides ground for disqualification of his organisation and related entities as independent and neutral observer of the national elections. 

While Bangladesh welcomes international election observers to observe the election, it certainly has the responsibility to ensure that the applicants meet all the required criteria as per applicable laws and guidelines of the Election Commission, reads the statement.

As of now, 175 foreign election observers from different countries and organizations have been accredited to undertake election monitoring missions in Bangladesh.

Accreditation of international election observers from a number of organisations, including ANFREL, is currently under process, said the MoFA.

In addition, the Election Commission has registered 118 local organisations and also approved 25,920 local observers to monitor the polls. 

Under Section 91 © (1) of the Representation of the People Order 1972, the Commission is supposed to ‘permit a person as election observer who is in no way associated with or affiliated to any political party or contesting candidate and who is not known for his sympathy, direct or indirect, for any particular political ideology, creed or cause or for any manifesto, programme, aims or objects of any political party or contesting candidate’.

As one of the largest democracies in the world and mutually respectful to others, Bangladesh would expect and welcome constructive statements towards its democratic process from its friends and partners, said the MoFA.

Bangladesh has reiterated that it Bangladesh would continue to grant credentials to eligible international and local election observers to observe the 11th national parliamentary elections to be held on December 30.