Bringing voters to center is the challenge: EU

European Union (EU) Ambassador Michael Miller on Tuesday said the EU is preparing to send a very big election observer mission to Bangladesh to monitor what he described as the biggest democratic exercise anywhere in the world in 2026.

”This is a sign of our confidence in the election process and our support for elections in this wonderfully diverse country.”

“What I want to add is that the European Union recognises the commitment and the professionalism of the Bangladesh Election Commission and its capacity to run well-prepared elections. This is a sign of our confidence in the election process and our support for elections in this wonderfully diverse country,” Miller said emerging from a meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner this morning.

The EU Ambassador said he had recently joined the Chief Election Commissioner during a mock exercise aimed at ensuring the Commission’s preparedness for holding elections that would include both the popular vote and the referendum on the July Charter.

”The preparations are well in hand for these elections, and there will inevitably be challenges.”

About challenges in conducting a free and fair election, he said Bangladesh has a generation of citizens who did not take part in previous polls …So you have a whole generation of individuals and maybe more who have never cast their vote. That will be a challenge because people need to understand what they’re doing logistically on the day of the election, the day of the referendum itself.”

Stating that there is a very significant consideration of the logistical challenges, also of potential security challenges, Miller said, “What we are discussing with all of the Bangladeshi stakeholders involved in this vote is how do you mitigate the risks and how do you ensure that the elections are smooth and participatory. That’s what we want to see.”