The head of the European Union Election Observation Mission, Eivers Ijabs, has emphasized that Bangladesh’s upcoming 13th national parliamentary election must be held peacefully, credibly, and transparently through ballot boxes. In a written statement, he said the election will play a crucial role in strengthening democratic institutions and expressed hope that the mission’s work would help build public trust in the electoral process.

The EU deployed its observation mission to Bangladesh in December of the previous year to monitor the election scheduled for February 12. According to an official release, this is the first full EU election observation mission in Bangladesh since 2008. The mission will assess how the election is conducted under national law and its alignment with regional and international democratic standards adopted by Bangladesh.

Ijabs stated that the mission’s technical assessment is guided by three principles: independence, impartiality, and non-interference. He clarified that the mission will observe the process but will not certify the results, stressing that the election belongs solely to the people of Bangladesh.