Staff Correspondent

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI) joint team, now in Bangladesh, will conduct a "limited technical assessment" focused on potential electoral violence conditions before, during, and after the country’s January 7 parliamentary elections.

The team comprises five long-term analysts, who have received accreditation from the Bangladesh Election Commission and will stay in Bangladesh for six to eight weeks, according to an announcement made on December23.

The technical assessment includes a thematic analysis of different types of election violence, including inter and intra-party violence, violence targeting women and other marginalized groups, and online harassment and threats, as well as the role of state institutions in addressing these types of violence, in order to evaluate the drivers and implications of election violence during the election cycle.

Following the conclusion of the electoral process, IRI and NDI will present a technical assessment report on electoral violence along with constructive recommendations to reduce violence in future elections.

This deployment follows a joint pre-election assessment mission (PEAM) that NDI and IRI conducted from October 8 to 11, 2023.

The observations from the PEAM informed the structure and scope of the technical assessment, which is being conducted in accordance with the laws of Bangladesh and consistent with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, which was endorsed in 2005 at the United Nations.

IRI and NDI are nonpartisan, nongovernmental organizations that support and strengthen democratic institutions and practices worldwide.

The Institutes have collectively observed more than 200 elections in more than 50 countries over the last 30 years.

Meanwhile, MoFA Spokesperson Seheli Sabrin in a weekly briefing on Thursday said nine countries have confirmed to observe the 12th national election scheduled for January 7.

India, Sri Lanka, China, Russia, Japan, Uzbekistan, Mauritius, Georgia and Palestine are sending observers, she said.

On the other hand, the OIC, Commonwealth and the Arab Parliament will also observe the elections, she mentioned.

A four-member EU expert panel is already in Dhaka to observe the election.