Staff Reporter:
EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed yesterday said a tripartite agreement has been signed among the Election Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union (EU) for monitoring the forth-coming election scheduled for February 12.
He said that under the agreement, around 175 to 200 observers, led by Member of the European Parlia-ment Ivars Ījabs, will arrive at different stages before and after the election to carry out observation ac-tivities with the overall support of the Election Commission.
The EC Secretary said, “In light of this agreement, the European Union will send a delegation to observe the election process. We will provide them with the necessary assistance under the tripartite agreement.”
He added, “We have made one request to them: that local protocols be followed where applicable. For instance, if special local protocols are required in the Chattogram Hill Tracts, they must be followed ac-cordingly.”
Akhtar Ahmed said that although the agreement was signed on December 15, it received final approval last night.
“The agreement was approved at the European Union headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. We received confirmation last night,” he said.
He added that work has already begun in this regard and that further details will be announced soon.
