Commonwealth calls JS polls 'a democratic milestone'

FE Team | Published: June 16, 2026 00:29:13

The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) has termed Bangladesh's 2026 Jatiya Sangsad (JS) elections and referendum a 'democratic milestone', while urging further reforms to strengthen and safeguard the country's democratic progress, reports bdnews24.com.
The observation and assessment were published in the group's final report, the Commonwealth said in a statement on Monday.
The COG particularly lauded the large-scale rollout of postal voting for diaspora voters and individuals in lawful custody, praising the initiative as a significant step towards reinforcing the inclusivity of the national electoral system.
Headed by Nana Akufo-Addo, the former president of Ghana, the 13-member delegation comprised eminent dignitaries spanning Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Pacific.
The international observers were deployed across Bangladesh from February 4 to 18 to scrutinise the pre-election environment, polling day conduct, and post-election management.
The team consulted a broad spectrum of local stakeholders to gather comprehensive, evidence-based data on the Feb 8 electoral process.
Addressing historical context, the final report acknowledged earlier concerns regarding the independence and executive capacity of the Bangladesh Election Commission (BEC).
These anxieties, the report noted, were partially rooted in controversies surrounding the January 2024 general elections and the previous barring of political parties.
However, for the 2026 cycle, the observer group assessed that the polling, counting, and results management phases were executed professionally.
The COG report also tracked the national referendum on the July Charter, which cleared the legislative hurdle with 61.64 percent public support.
While the referendum was conducted peacefully, the observers noted that public awareness regarding the core substance of the charter remained limited.
The final report threw light on lingering demographic gaps in political inclusion.
Despite women constituting nearly half of the country's population and holding reserved parliamentary seats, they accounted for a mere 4 percent of the total candidates, with only seven female politicians directly elected, it said.
Youth representation similarly fell short; citizens under the age of 35 made up roughly 44 percent of the active electorate but saw low direct participation, it said.