The European Union is willing to send a small team to observe the upcoming general election, but Bangladesh will have to bear its expenses.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen made the statement on Sunday, hours after an Awami League delegation met with EU Ambassador in Dhaka Charles Whiteley and said a four-member team of election observers of the EU would arrive in Bangladesh in November.
The team would leave the country after the polls, Awami League Presidium Member Muhammad Faruk Khan said after the meeting.
The foreign minister said he had recently received a letter from the European Commission regarding election observers.
He said the European Commission was saying it was short of money and could not send a large delegation.
“They say they will send a small team… if we pay for the small group’s accommodation and travel expenses. We are not very interested in them,” he said.
“We do not need observers, we need voters.”
Referring to US elections, Momen said observers had no role in the US election system. “It is sad when the people of the country (US) come here and talk about observing elections in Bangladesh.”
He added that there was no election monitoring in most countries. “But those countries are doing well. There is no election observation in the US, and if American people come here and talk about election monitoring, it is sad. There is no election monitoring in their country.”
Regarding foreigners talking about Bangladesh polls, he said people from different countries were coming and meeting for bilateral discussions.
“… some of them talk about the election, and this is your hot topic,” he told journalists. “They have so much fun because Bangladeshi media cares about them. That is why they enjoy it.”
“Many people enjoy talking about the election; it is a game. Foreigners have a lot of fun with it… And you also provoke them. We have no problem with that.”
Earlier, the EU wrote to the Election Commission saying it would not observe the general election due to fund constraints, following a pre-election observation mission’s report.
