Greater turnout in UZ polls a positive sign: Hanna

Head of the European Union (EU) delegation to Bangladesh William Hanna on Sunday said they are happy to see a larger participation, both by political parties and voters, in the Upazila Parishad (UP) elections, and encouraged parties to take part in future elections too, he told reporters at the Secretariat after a meeting with Law Minister Anisul Haq. The EU envoy, who led a three-member delegation to the meeting, said they want to encourage political parties to participate in (future) elections instead of boycott. He said they had discussions on three specific issues -- space for civil society, EU’s position against death penalty and reports on extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh-- at the meeting. France Ambassador Michel Trinquier and Sweden Ambassador Anneli Lindahl Kenny were also present, according to a news agency.