15/12/2006
European Union Election Observation Mission to Bangladesh

The European Commission will deploy an EU Election Observation Mission (EOM) for the Parliamentary elections in Bangladesh scheduled to take place on 23 January 2007. The EU EOM will be led by Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Member of the European Parliament. The EOM is a further contribution by the European Commission to supporting democracy in Bangladesh.

Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, said: “The forthcoming parliamentary elections are the most important in Bangladesh since 1991, when eight years of military rule came to an end. In the current very difficult and tense situation in the country, it is essential to ensure that the elections conform to international standards in order to increase confidence in the democratic process. Successful and credible elections will be a positive contribution to the long term stability of Bangladesh. I have decided to deploy an EOM to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the entire election process.”

The EU will provide the largest international observer presence at these crucial elections. This will consist of a Core Team of ten election experts to be deployed in the middle of December to co-ordinate the assessment of the entire election process, 40 Long Term Observers (LTOs) to be deployed at the end December to assess the campaign period and pre-election preparations around the country and one hundred Short Term Observers (STOs) to observe voting, counting and the tabulation of results. They will be joined by locally recruited STOs from diplomatic representatives of EU Member States resident in the country around the election day. It is planned that the EU EOM will remain in the country for up to four weeks after election day to observe the post-election period. However, the deployment of the EU EOM will be kept under careful review, taking into account the progress made towards a satisfactory electoral process.

EU Election Observation Missions are an important instrument for building confidence in the democratic processes of a country and are deployed in line with the EU’s commitment to promote democracy, human rights and the respect for the rule of law. The EU has made available some €3 million, from the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), for this mission.

The European Commission is one of Bangladesh’s most important partners and is providing funds to assist the country in implementing its development policy reform agenda. Assistance is being provided to a number of important sectors, including education, health, trade-related support, food security, rural development, good governance and human rights. The Commission has also channelled €1.6 million for projects to enhance civic awareness ahead of the elections, in particular to vulnerable groups.

For additional information, see also:

The EU's Human rights and Democratisation Policy - EU Election Assistance & Observation:

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

European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights:

http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/projects/eidhr/index_en.htm