NEW DELHI: A team of 14 Malaysian observers led by Election Commission chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun will monitor Bangladesh's parliamentary elections on Feb 12.
Fifty-seven election observers from 16 countries are expected to be in Bangladesh to watch how the country's 13th general election and the national referendum on a reform charter are held, state news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported.
Malaysia has the largest team of poll observers, followed by Turkiye, which is sending 12 observers.
Indonesia, Japan, Bhutan and Pakistan are among the countries that will observe the first elections after the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in a mass student-led uprising in 2024.
A 14-member Commonwealth Observer Group headed by former president of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo includes former Bernama chairman Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Radzi, according to the Bangladesh media report.
Bangladesh interim leader Muhammad Yunus is optimistic that the country will write a new democratic chapter in its history in the elections.
"The referendum will allow the people to express their views on shaping the future state system, while the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) election will enable them to elect suitable representatives to implement those views," he said recently.
About 2,000 candidates from dozens of political parties are contesting 300 parliamentary seats. – Bernama
