US terms Bangladesh’s polls as positive dev, vows to continue working with govt

DHAKA, Jan 1, 2019 (BSS) – The United States today termed the Bangladesh’s 11th parliamentary elections as a positive development and said it looks forward to continue working with the ruling government.

“Bangladesh’s impressive record of economic development and respect for democracy and human rights are mutually reinforcing, and we look forward to continue working with the ruling government and opposition towards advancing these interrelated goals, said Robert Palladino, Deputy Spokesperson of US Department of State, in a press statement.

He said the tens of millions of Bangladeshis who voted in Bangladesh’s 11th parliamentary election on December 30, 2018, as well as the decision of all major opposition political parties to participate in the polls is a positive development after the boycotted election of 2014.

However, the statement expressed concern over allegation of harassment, intimidation and violence in the pre-election period as well as election-day ‘irregularities’, which ‘undermined faith in the electoral process’.

“We strongly encourage all parties to refrain from violence and request the Election Commission to work constructively with all sides to address claims of irregularities,” it added.

The United States remains deeply invested in the future of Bangladesh and its democratic development, the statement reads.