Next national polls will be free and fair: PM Hasina tells Chollet
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said the next parliamentary election will be free and fair as she is committed to democracy and the Election Commission is completely independent.
"The next election will be free and fair. I fought for democracy my whole life," said the premier when a US delegation, led by Counselor of US State Department Derek Chollet, paid a courtesy call on her at the latter's official residence Ganabhaban.
PM's speechwriter Md Nazrul Islam briefed reporters after the meeting.
The premier said if the people vote for Awami League in the next general election, her party will take charge of governing the country, reports the UNB.
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She said the EC is completely independent.
Bangladesh is due to elect its next parliament by the end of this year or the first week of January next year. The last parliamentary election was held on 30 December, 2018.
Focusing on the development of Bangladesh in different socio-economic indexes, PM said the transformation of the country has become visible in the last 14 years during the tenures of her government. It has been possible due to the continued democratic practice and stability in the country, she added.
Nazrul said the Russia-Ukraine war and Rohingya issues also came up for discussion in the meeting.
PM Hasina told the US delegation that the world should stop this war right now as it has caused high inflation and commodity prices throughout the globe.
"A war never can bring any benefit for the human kind," she said.
Noting that the USA is the most powerful country, she said it can stop the war anytime. The disputes can be settled through negotiation, she said.
About Rohingyas, the PM said the displaced Myanmar nationals have become a big burden for Bangladesh. The local communities in Cox's Bazar are suffering and they have become minority due to the influx of such a huge number of Myanmar nationals there.
She said the Rohingya peoples are being involved in different criminal activities like drug trafficking, human trafficking, militancy and infightings.
Derek Chollet thanked the prime minister for giving shelter to the Rohingya people on humanitarian ground.
He said they would try their best for the repatriation of the displaced people.
However, the Counselor to the Secretary of State of the United States said the repatriation will be possible when a democratic government returns to power in Myanmar.
US highlights importance of free, fair polls
Chollet, who serves at the rank of under-secretary as a senior policy advisor to the US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken, also met with Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and other senior government officials after she arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday for a 24-hour visit.
In these meetings, Counselor Chollet emphasised continued US support to Bangladesh in addressing Rohingya issues, the importance of free and fair elections and the protection of human rights, cooperation to mitigate climate change, and a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
"This has been a very productive visit to Bangladesh, and I'm honoured my first trip to Bangladesh comes on the heels of the year when we marked 50th anniversary of US-Bangladesh relations," said Counselor Chollet, read a press release of the US embassy Dhaka.
The US government is dedicated to expanding the full range of trade, security, education, and humanitarian cooperation and ties between the Bangladeshi and American people to promote a more stable, secure, and prosperous future for both our nations, he added.
Bangladesh has seen a series of visits by senior US officials in recent months with the last by US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia, Donald Lu.
Foreign Minister Momen told reporters that Bangladesh is happy to receive US diplomats.
Momen said, America is our biggest investor. We want to go even further ahead. We have requested the US to invest in our 100 economic zones."
