UN rules out sending observers to Bangladesh polls

The United Nations has said it will not send election observers to Bangladesh’s upcoming parliamentary vote, scheduled for Feb 12.

Responding to questions at a UN briefing in New York on Tuesday, the Secretary-General’s spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the organisation does not deploy election observers unless there is a mandate from either the UN General Assembly or the Security Council.

“The UN itself doesn’t send observers unless there is a mandate,” he said, adding that he would check whether the UN’s country office in Bangladesh was providing any technical assistance, which he said was more common.

Dujarric declined to comment on the political significance of the return of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, who returned to the country last month after 17 years in exile in the UK.

“I’m not an assessor of news. Journalists assess news," he said.

He added that the UN would support elections and the ability of the Bangladeshi people to freely express their political views.

Dujarric also expressed condolences following the death of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who was Bangladesh’s first female premier and served three terms in office.

“We obviously send condolences to her family and to the people of Bangladesh on her passing,” he said.