Observers from OIC, Russia, Palestine and Gambia have expressed satisfaction with the turnout of the 12th National Assembly elections.
After polling, they held a press conference at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the capital on Sunday afternoon. At that time, the election observers expressed their satisfaction and said, "We have spoken with the voters and candidate's agents, we are satisfied."
Sheikh Mohammad Bandar, head of the OIC's selection unit, said, "As observers, we have not seen any sign of violence." I was surprised, why the shops closed! No people were seen on the road. The city was quiet.
In response to a question, he said, I have been asked twice, you come from a country where war is going on. Is it important to come to Bangladesh? Was there any pressure on you to come to Bangladesh? Was there any kind of pressure from the Bangladesh government? no We have close relations with Bangladesh and Pakistan. We were invited. Three months ago when I was in Zimbabwe, I received the invitation letter. I am from the West Bank of Palestine, there is no war like in Gaza.
Talking about the association with the Arab Electrical Management Body, he said, I will submit a report to that organization as well as our country. That is why it was important to respond to this invitation.
He said, the most important thing is the exchange of experience. Your experience and what I and my colleagues in Bangladesh saw today. We learned from each other on this trip. It was a professional visit.
He also said, we are satisfied with the election environment. We have seen good electoral process.
In response to another question, he said, I still do not know how many percent of votes have been cast. When we visited the center in the morning, the voter turnout was very low. People were expecting attendance to increase. If there is no compulsion, you can choose not to go to the center and no one can force you to vote. There is no legal obligation in your country to vote, so I cannot comment on that.
Responding to a question about low voter turnout, he said, "15 or 16 percent voter turnout is a message to the election organizers." Politicians will analyze the reason for this. I have seen many elections in Jordan, there was 55 percent voter turnout and it was a good election. These issues will be looked at by politicians and research organizations.
