Staff Reporter:
German Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr Rüdiger Lotz yesterday said Germany wants Bangladesh’s up-coming national election to be held in a free, fair and inclusive.
He laid emphasis that citizens must vote without obstruction and political parties must be able to contest freely in a peaceful, intimidation-free environment.
“When we say free, fair, and participatory elections, we mean that citizens must be able to take part in the process without obstruction, men and women alike and that multiple political parties should be able to contest,” he said.
The ambassador was speaking at the DCAB Talk organized by the Diplomatic Correspondents Associa-tion, Bangladesh (DCAB) at the National Press Club here.
The Ambassador elaborated on what Germany and the European Union mean by participatory elections.
He added that participation also requires a peaceful and non-violent campaign environment, space for peaceful political expression, and an electoral process in which votes are counted accurately and trans-parently.
A high voter turnout, he said, would be a critical sign of public trust. Referring to Chief Adviser Profes-sor Muhammad Yunus’s earlier statement, the Ambassador noted that a turnout of around 60 percent would be a “reasonable and positive benchmark.”
The envoy said the European Union was likely to send a large election observer mission, reflecting both Bangladesh’s strategic importance and the international community’s expectation for credible polls.
“You will have our support,” he added, noting that his early engagement with Bangladeshis from politi-cal and business leaders to ordinary citizens had shown him how deeply democratic values are rooted in the country.
“People are open and willing to express their views. That shows the strength of democratic roots.”
Turning to domestic political matters, the Ambassador said Bangladesh ultimately needed a long-term process of national reconciliation.
He noted that such dialogue had been missing for many years.
DCAB President AKM Moinuddin and General Secretary Md Arifuzzaman Mamun also spoke at the event.
