IRI and NDI pre-election assessment mission holds meeting with AL delegation

The joint International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) pre-election assessment mission from the US held a meeting with an Awami League delegation today to discuss the next national election in Bangladesh.

The meeting began at 12:30 pm at the Westin Hotel in Dhaka’s Gulshan area.

A delegation led by Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader attended the meeting. Other AL delegation members are International Affairs Secretary Dr Shammi Ahmed, Presidium member Muhammad Farooq Khan, Office Secretary Biplab Barua, Information and Research Secretary Dr Salim Mahmud, and Executive Committee Member Prof Mohammad Ali Arafat.

The six-member joint IRI and NDI pre-election assessment mission arrived in Dhaka on Saturday to follow electoral preparations and conduct an independent and impartial assessment.

From October 8 to 12, they will meet with a diverse group of election stakeholders including government officials, political party leaders, election authorities, civil society, and others.

The delegation is being led by Karl F Inderfurth, former Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, and Bonnie Glick, former Deputy USAID Administrator. It also includes Maria Chin Abdullah, former member of the House of Representatives, Malaysia; Jamil Jaffer, former associate counsel to the President of the United States; Manpreet Singh Anand, NDI regional director for Asia-Pacific; and Johanna Kao, IRI senior director, Asia-Pacific Division.

The team had a meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday while an eight-member delegation of the BNP met with the team on Monday morning.

The delegation will conduct its assessment in accordance with the laws of Bangladesh and consistent with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation which was signed in 2005 at the United Nations.

Following the conclusion of its activities, the delegation will release a statement of its key findings, analysis of the pre-election environment, and practical recommendations to enhance the credibility of the process and citizen confidence in the elections.

NDI and IRI are nonpartisan, nongovernmental organisations that support and strengthen democratic institutions and practices worldwide. The Institutes have collectively observed more than 200 elections in more than 50 countries over the last 30 years.