Jan 5 polls ‘undeniably flawed’: US envoy-designate says

The US ambassador-designate to Bangladesh has said the Jan 5 parliamentary elections were “undeniably flawed” and that she would take forward Washington’s policy to the country if her nomination confirmed.
Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat submitted her statement about Bangladesh for the record before the senate foreign relations committee in Washington Thursday, according to a news agency.
She said Bangladesh’s main political parties “urgently need to engage in constructive dialogue that leads to a more representative government”.
Major opposition BNP had boycotted the elections that led to more than half of the seats returning uncontested winners.
The US did not support the elections and called for fresh polls as soon as possible with an agreed poll-time dispensation, the issue on the BNP-led alliance had boycotted the poll.
Bernicat was nominated by President Barack Obama in May to be the next US ambassador to Bangladesh. She will replace Dan Mozena, when her appointment is finalised.
Bernicat served in the Department of State as Office Director for India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bhutan in the Bureau of South Asian Affairs from 2006 to 2008.
A career Foreign Service officer, she is currently Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Human Resources at the Department of State, a position she has held since 2012.
She was previously the US Ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau from 2008 to 2011.
She said labour rights and workplace safety in Bangladesh “remain a top US priority”.
 “We need Bangladeshis to ensure there will be no more heart-rending tragedies like the Rana Plaza building collapse or the Tazreen Fashions factory fire,” she said.
 “If confirmed, I pledge to you that I will actively further our efforts to strengthen respect for labor rights and to improve workplace safety in Bangladesh”.