UN will not send polls observers to BD

The United Nations will not send any observers to monitor Bangladesh's 12th national parliamentary elections.

UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said this at a regular press briefing on Wednesday at the UN office.

When asked about specific steps to ensure Bangladeshi voting rights, he said: "The UN is not deploying observers to these elections."

"We rarely do that without a specific mandate. We've seen Human Rights Watch and others' reports. We again call on all involved parties to ensure people can freely express votes and opinions without harassment," the spokesman added.

Earlier, he acknowledged seeing rights group reports highlighting harassment ahead of the polls. He reiterated the UN rarely deploys election observers without a specific mandate.