European Union to observe the parliamentary election in Bangladesh

Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, said: "The European Commission knows that both the international community and the Bangladeshi people have looked forward to this decision on the re-deployment. The Commission, from the very beginning, was committed to re-activate the EOM once acceptable conditions for the conduct of democratic elections were in place. The European institutions and the Member States have attached great importance to, and have supported, the political and legal reforms in Bangladesh since January 2007 that aimed at setting the right conditions for credible and democratic elections in December 2008. Notwithstanding the difficulties that still exist, I now believe that the conditions exist which allow the EU EOM to be redeployed. I encourage both the Caretaker Government and the political parties to make all efforts to ensure this election reflects the will of the Bangladeshi people who always expressed their commitment to democratic government."

Altogether some 150 EU Observers will be in place on Election Day. This is a major commitment to Bangladesh's democratic development. The re-deployed Election Observation Mission, which consists of a Core Team of 10 election experts (including the Chief Observer), was deployed on 7 November 2008 to co-ordinate the assessment of the entire election process. They will be joined by 46 Long-Term Observers (LTOs) to be deployed in two stages (on 14 November and 21 November) to assess the candidate nomination process, the campaign period and pre-election preparations around the country. Some 88 Short-Term Observers will be deployed by mid-December to observe voting, counting and the tabulation of results. It is planned that the EU EOM will remain in the country for up to 3 weeks after Election Day to observe the post-election period.

EU Election Observation Missions are an important instrument for building confidence in democratic processes and are deployed in line with the EU's commitment to promote democracy, human rights and respect for the rule of law. The EU has made available some € 3.2 million from the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), for this mission.

The European Commission is one of Bangladesh's most important development partners, assisting the country in meeting the Millennium Development Goals by providing support to human and social development, good governance, and economic development. The European Commission is assisting Bangladesh in the fields of environment and disaster preparedness and food security.

For additional information, see also:

http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/human_rights/eu_election_ass_observ/index.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/worldwide/electoral-support/index_en.htm

| Top |

• Improving Lives: Results of the United Nations-European Commission partnership in 2007 (24/10/2008)
• Ecuador: EU sends Election Observation Mission (15/9/2008)
• Bangladesh: European Commission supports recovery and rehabilitation after SIDR cyclone with €13 million (13/6/2008)