OECD countries want a participatory national election

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries want a participatory national election with scope for people to exercise their voting rights, a 14-member delegation told the Election Commission (EC).

The OECD countries' heads of missions said this at a meeting held at the Election Commission Building in the capital's Agargaon area. 

After meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal and other commissioners, Ambassador of Switzerland in Bangladesh Nathalie Chuard briefed the media.

She said that they want a participatory and violence-free election in Bangladesh. They are ready to provide support for strengthening democracy, ensuring the voting rights of the people and making the EC strong. The OECD countries want to improve the democratic trend through which the peoples' expectations will be reflected, she added.

Ms Nathalie said they also raised the issue of ensuring the role of media and civil society in the election.

Regarding the meeting, Kazi Habibul Awal said that the meeting with the OECD delegation was part of a regular practice. The delegation wanted to know about the election laws and preparations for holding the ensuing parliamentary election. 

Their main focus is on democratic values, that's why they want a participatory election which the EC has assured them, he added.

Regarding their support proposal, Habibul Awal said they have proposed to provide support on their own, not that anything was sought from the EC. 

"We have told them if the EC needs any technical assistance, we will inform them after discussion among ourselves," he said.  

Habibul Awal also said that the delegation raised the issue of deploying election observers. 

"We said we have no objection from our side but you can discuss the matter diplomatically with the foreign ministry," he said.        

British High Commissioner Robert Chatterton Dickson, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas, Canadian High Commissioner Lilly Nichols, Danish Ambassador Winnie Estrup Petersen, European Union Ambassador Charles Whiteley, Chargé d'Affaires at the French Embassy Guillaume Audren de Kerdrel, German Ambassador Achim Tröster, Italian Ambassador Enrico Nunziata, Ambassador of the Netherlands Anne Van Leeuwen, Norwegian Ambassador Aspen Richter-Wendsen, Spanish Ambassador Francisco Benitez, Swiss Ambassador Nathalie Chuard, Turkish Ambassador Mustafa Osman Turan and Japanese Deputy Chief of Mission Hiroyuki Yamaya attended the meeting.