AL meets with Commonwealth, OIC observers over polls

The ruling Awami League (AL) met with the Commonwealth and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s election observation team on Friday, just two days before the 12th parliamentary election.

The first meeting Commonwealth team started around 8:30am at Pan Pacific Sonargaon in the capital and continued till 11am.

AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, led the 10-member AL delegation, while former Jamaican prime minister Orette Bruce Golding headed the 15-member Commonwealth team.

Welcoming the Commonwealth election observation team, the ruling party reiterated its commitment to making the January 7 election free, fair and acceptable.

Saber Hossain Chowdhury, the prime minister’s special envoy on environment and climate change; Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, the deputy education minister; Biplab Barua, the Awami League’s office secretary; and Mohammad Ali Arafat, the lawmaker representing Dhaka-17; among others, were present in the meeting.

Later in the day, a meeting between an OIC delegation, led by Yousef AlDobeay, assistant secretary-general of political affairs of the OIC, and the Awami League took place at the Dhaka District Awami League office at Tejgaon in the capital.