Staff Reporter:
The United States has reiterated its desire to see free and fair elections in Bangladesh, saying that it does not want to speculate the outcome of the upcoming general election.
“I’m not going to speculate on the outcome of the elections,” US State Department Spokesperson Mat-thew Miller told reporters during a regular media briefing on December 4.
“I will say what we have said a number of times before,” he added.
Miller said the US will continue to engage with the government, opposition, civil society, and other stakeholders to urge them to work together for the benefit of the Bangladeshi people to ensure free and fair elections.
He said the US also wants to see that elections are conducted in a peaceful manner.
The next national election is scheduled to be held on January 7, 2024.
BNP, the major opposition political party, has resorted to burning private and public properties, vandal-izing and torching fire on vehicles enforcing anti-people blockades and hartals, and is boycotting the upcoming election although many of its own leaders are participating, according to the Ministry of For-eign Affairs.
The Election Commission received a total of 2,711 nomination papers against 300 constituencies across the country.
The nomination papers were scrutinized on December 1-4, 2023, and candidatures can be withdrawn by December 17, 2023.
The schedule for the 12th national parliamentary election was announced by Chief Election Commis-sioner Kazi Habibul Awal on November 15, 2023.
