More than 500 foreign observers and over 55,000 local observers have expressed interest in monitoring Bangladesh’s upcoming national election and referendum, scheduled to be held simultaneously on 12 February, according to the Election Commission.
The EC said 55,454 local observers from 81 domestic organisations have applied for accreditation, with 7,997 planning to monitor the polls centrally and 47,457 intending to observe voting at field level across the country.
On the international front, the European Union plans to deploy up to 200 observers, of whom 56, led by EU Election Observation Mission chief observer Ivars Ijabs, are already in Dhaka.
The EC has invited representatives from around 50 countries and international organisations, with 23 foreign observers from 10 countries and one organisation confirming participation so far.
Confirmed observers include Pakistan Chief Election Commissioner Mohammad Jalal Sikandar Sultan, who is expected to visit Bangladesh with his spouse Rabab Sikandar and Mohammad Nadeem, as well as two representatives each from Russia, Turkey, the Philippines, Georgia, Maldives, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Indonesia and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Besides, 28 observers from the Asian Network for Free Elections have applied, representing Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Indonesia, Maldives, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Mongolia, the United States, Myanmar and Poland.
The EC also received accreditation requests from at least 43 foreign journalists and two local journalists representing more than two dozen international media outlets, including TVE Spain, GEO News Pakistan, Reuters, NHK Japan, Al Jazeera Arabic, ABC Australia and media organisations from India, Pakistan and Europe.
Meanwhile, 25 members of the Commonwealth Observer Group, including 17 foreign observers and eight support staff, have expressed interest in monitoring the polls, with visa-on-arrival clearance already granted for six members.
The Commonwealth observers include nationals from Ghana, Malaysia, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, the United States, South Africa, Fiji, Antigua and Barbuda, Canada, Zambia, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Uganda, while the remaining members are Secretariat staff from the UK, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and India.
In addition, 25 international freelance observers, including a former chief election commissioner of Nepal and representatives from several international rights and research organisations, have also shown interest.
EC Director (Public Relations) Ruhul Amin Mallik said the number of foreign observers could exceed 500, with around 200 expected from the European Union alone.
In comparison, the EC accredited 517 foreign observers and 20,256 local observers for the 12th parliamentary election in 2024, while the 9th parliamentary election in 2008 saw a record presence of 593 foreign observers and 159,113 local observers, according to EC data.
