The European Union (EU) and European Parliament made it clear on Wednesday that they would not send any mission to Bangladesh to observe the upcoming general elections scheduled for December 30.
It is not possible for the EU to form an election observer mission in such a short period of time, says Rensje Teerink, Head of the EU Delegation in Bangladesh after a meeting between the Election Commission and the EU Delegation.
But she said that there would be a small team of experts who would monitor the election situation.
Terming the upcoming elections a big challenge for democracy, she said the EU expects the election to be free and fair.
Meanwhile, the co-chairs of the European Parliament's Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group said on Wednesday it would refrain from commenting on the election process of Bangladesh both before and after the elections.
"The European Parliament will not observe this electoral process and consequently will neither comment on the process nor on the results that will be announced afterwards," says a statement.
"Moreover, there will be no European Union Election Observation Mission."
The statement also says that no individual member of the European Parliament has been mandated to observe or comment on this electoral process on its behalf.
"Any statements made by members of the European Parliament on these elections therefore do not represent in any way the view of the European Parliament or the European Union," said the statement issued by MEPs David McAllister (EPP, DE) and Linda McAvan (S&D, UK).
The European Parliament stated its position on the elections in its resolution of November15, 2018.
The resolution says that the elections will be "peaceful, transparent and participatory so that citizens can express a genuine political choice; calls on the political forces to refrain from any violence or instigation of violence during the electoral period."
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