BNP refuses to meet foreign election monitoring delegation

The foreign election monitoring delegation visiting Dhaka on the invitation of Election Monitoring Forum (EMF) expressed disappointment as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) did not agree to hold meeting with them.

The delegation came up with this disappointment to the reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairson Sunday (July 30).

Member of the delegation Terry L Isley, founder of Tenet Finance International Group, said, “We have come to observe the pre-election situation. We are holding meetings with various parties. We also wanted to hold a meeting with BNP to hear their concerns about the election. However, they did not agree to meet with us. This is why we are disappointed.”

He also said, “We wanted to meet with both sides. Then the matter would be more clear.”

The delegation came to meet Shahriar Alam, State Minister for Foreign Affairs at the ministry on Sunday (July 30). However, the meeting did not take place as the state minister was not in the ministry. The delegation left without meeting with the state minister after waiting for about an hour.

Another member of the delegation, observer from Ireland, Nick Paul, said, “We have met with the Election Commission and the Minister of Home Affairs. The election process was discussed. There is no caretaker system in the constitution of Bangladesh. Therefore, the Election Commission wants to conduct free and fair elections within the framework of the Constitution.”

Earlier this morning, the delegation had a courtesy meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital’s Agargaon. After the meeting, delegation member Terry L Isley said, “Your constitution does not support the caretaker government. To do this, the constitution must be amended. If it’s a good idea, if they (EC) want to do it, they can’t do it right now. Because there is no legal framework to do so. This is not possible at this moment.

Terry L Isley does not represent the US government, noting that he said, as a member of the international observer group, we think that the commission under this government can organize a fair election.

Mentionable, a six-member delegation has been visiting Dhaka since July 28 to monitor the pre-election situation at the invitation of the Election Monitoring Forum (EMF).