EC reaffirms commitment to strengthening democracy

Bangladesh Election Commission (EC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the foundations of democracy, reports UNB. The commitment again came Tuesday while signing a new project that sets out a five year programme supporting the EC's expansion and consolidation plans that builds on its recent successes with voter registration and holding of credible and transparent national and local elections. The project titled 'Strengthening Election Management in Bangladesh (SEMB)', which is a joint initiative of the Government of Bangladesh, European Union (EU), the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID), United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has a total budget of US$19.6 million. The project is designed to take into account the electoral cycle which has been devised in close consultation with stakeholders. It will support the EC in reaching its strategic goals and aims to assist it in institutionalizing modern business processes both at central and local levels of the electoral administration as well as increasing the capacity of the Electoral Training Institute to deliver world class training. It will also promote activities that work to maintain stakeholder's confidence in the electoral process and support the EC in developing their increasingly advanced ICT needs. "The Bangladesh Election Commission has enhanced the country's reputation globally. There has been impressive global interest from election commissions in different continents looking to learn from the Bangladesh experience, particularly in respect of the voters' registration," UNDP Bangladesh Resident Representative, Stefan Priesner said. However, the EC has recognised that continued success requires planning for the future and expansion and consolidation of its institutional structures and resources. "We are very pleased to continue our longstanding partnership with this independent institution and are interested about the EC's plans. An independent, robust and efficient election commission is a key public resource for Bangladesh and its activities are crucial to the democratic process," Priesner added.