Around 500 foreign election observers and journalists are expected to assess the election proceedings and file relevant reports on February 12, said Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed on Thursday.
Those invited by Election Commission will be accommodated at a Dhaka hotel, he said at a briefing held at the Commission’s head office in Dhaka.
The EC has adopted two approaches on inviting foreigners to evaluate the elections: selective invitations and open invitation.
In total, 78 observers and 50 journalists have confirmed they would come to Bangladesh.
However, given the current rate, the number is expected to keep surging ahead of the elections and reach 500 by February 12, Akhtar Ahmed noted.
About 56 members of the delegation from European Union (EU) have already reached the country. Around 250 more are expected to join the EU delegation in the coming days, the secretary added.
Furthermore, 10 foreigners would come from Commonwealth Secretariat and nine from Turkey.
NSA
