330 int’l observers confirmed for polls

Deputy Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser Abul Kalam Azad Majumder on Saturday afternoon confirmed that 330 international observers will monitor the 13th National Parliamentary Election and the referendum scheduled for 12 February.
Six international organisations, including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have agreed to deploy at least 63 observers. 
They will join several hundred international observers from the European Union (EU), 57 observers from at least 16 countries, and 32 individuals affiliated with various global bodies, bringing the total number of confirmed observers for the national polls to 330, which is more than double the number for the controversial general election held on 7 January 2024. 
The number of international observers in the 12th, 11th, and 10th National Parliamentary Elections was 158, 125, and four, respectively.
Shakir Mahmood Bandar, head of the OIC Election Observation Unit, will lead a two-member observer team. The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) will deploy 28 observers, while the Commonwealth Secretariat will deploy 25. 
The US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) will send seven observers, and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) will send one. Sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Election Commission said 32 observers representing various organisations, including Voice for Justice, Democracy International, SNAS Africa, the SAARC Human Rights Foundation, and the Polish Institute of International Affairs will monitor the Bangldesh election.

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