United News of Bangladesh

Chief Observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Bangladesh Ivars Ijabs on Thursday said it is really a big day for Bangladesh’s democracy as they observed the country’s twin elections-- national election and referendum - across the country. "I think this really a big day for Bangladesh’s democracy," he told reporters at Siddheswari Girls' College at New Bailey Road after observing the opening of the vote casting. Ijabs said they were all looking forward to have 'participatory, credible and trusted' elections in Bangladesh in this historical moment. He said they will continue to monitor the vote counting process. Talking to reporters after visiting Curzon Hall polling centre at Dhaka University, Ijabs said the EU mission is closely monitoring voting across the country through its observers deployed nationwide. “We have seen a lot of positive enthusiasm and participation on behalf of Bangladeshi citizens, and let us all hope that it’s going to stay like that until the very end of the voting,” he said. They deployed 90 short-term observers (STOs) to observe the election day proceedings in all 64 administrative districts of the country. The short-term observers will observe opening of polling centres, voting, closing, as well as counting of the ballots and the tabulation of results. With a total of 200 observers deployed across the country, he said they are contributing to the transparency of these historic elections. The EU EOM chief said the mission is maintaining online contact with its observers stationed across Bangladesh and receiving regular updates on the opening of polling stations, voter turnout and overall conduct of the election process. “They are reporting on how the polling stations are being opened, how many people participate. And, of course, we are getting the reports from everywhere in the country where all our observers are,” he said. Ijabs reiterated that the EU mission remains strictly neutral. “We are absolutely neutral. We are not taking part in any political process. We are observing,” he said. He said the mission has deployed over 200 observers across Bangladesh, covering cities, towns and rural areas, to ensure a comprehensive and fact-based assessment of the election. According to him, most polling stations observed so far opened on time, while the voting process was continuing peacefully. Responding to queries from journalists, the chief observer said the mission receives various types of information as part of its observation work but would refrain from making comments during the ongoing voting process. “As for our comments on the process, we will produce them later on, because otherwise, that would be involvement in the politics and the voting process,” he said. The EU EOM is expected to release its preliminary report at 12pm on February 14, following completion of its assessment of polling, counting and tabulation processes.

More than 500 foreign observers and journalists are set to visit Bangladesh to monitor and cover the upcoming referendum and national parliamentary election, officials said. A total of 540 foreign nationals will arrive in the country, including around 60 representatives from foreign election commissions and election-related institutions invited by the Bangladesh Election Commission (EC), about 330 international observers from global organisations, and nearly 150 foreign journalists from 45 international media outlets. Among the EC-invited guests are the chief election commissioners of Bhutan and Nigeria, the chairman of Malaysia’s Election Commission, and the standing committee chairman of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) from South Korea. Delegations are also expected from Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Georgia, Russia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Iran. Around 150 foreign journalists will cover the referendum and election, including reporters from Al Jazeera, NHK, BBC News, Associated Press (AP), Reuters, ABC Australia and Deutsche Welle, as well as media organisations from Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, India and Pakistan. International election observers include 223 members from the European Union, 25 from the Commonwealth, 28 from the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), 12 from the International Republican Institute (IRI), and others from different organisations. The Election Commission said visa arrangements for foreign guests, observers and journalists have already been completed and necessary measures have been taken to ensure they can observe the referendum and election independently and impartially.

European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) Deputy Chief Observer Inta Lase on Saturday (January 17, 2026) said it is very important to see the whole picture of electoral process holistically to present their report impartially, stressing that this is a historic moment for Bangladesh. "Let us observe and let us wait until a holistic assessment is done," she told reporters at a city hotel, noting that they all know there is no perfect election anywhere in the world. Lase said their assessment and report with recommendations in the spirit of friendship and cooperation will help improve the future electoral process in the country. She said their observers are very experienced though many of them are coming to Bangladesh for the first time. EU to allocate €60B military, €30B economic aid to Ukraine Addressing the observers, Lase said, "You are the ones who are in the field, seeing the realities, telling us here in Dhaka how the situation is unfolding in each and every district. We are really looking forward to your report and assessment from the field." She said she knows observers' hours on the ground will be longer but it will be rewarding. "Trust me, we are all very privileged to hear from you and see this historical election," Lase said. 200 Observers Altogether At full strength the EU EOM will comprise 200 observers drawn from all 27 EU member states, Canada, Norway and Switzerland. The EU EOM will present its preliminary findings in a statement at a press conference on 14 February in Dhaka.