Voter turnout not the only consideration for participatory election: EU Observer Chief

The European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission believes that voter numbers alone do not determine whether the recently concluded 13th National Parliamentary Election was 'participatory'.

Mission Chief Ivers Ijabs said, "Participatory means including all political and social groups who wish to express their interests in the election. Therefore, when speaking about a participatory election, voter turnout is not the only consideration."

At a press conference at a Dhaka hotel on Saturday, a journalist inquired whether the voter turnout rate announced by the Election Commission indicates the participation of people from all walks of life and opinions in this election. Ivers Ijabs shared this perspective in response.

He said, "What we have observed in this election is that it was 'highly competitive' and with the presence of 2,000 candidates, voters had a wide opportunity to choose their preferred candidate. In that sense, I believe this election truly represents progress for Bangladeshi democracy."

The EU observation mission chief further stated, "Regarding voter turnout, we all know that historically in Bangladesh it has sometimes been high, sometimes low. In that sense, we see that this particular result is roughly in a middle position. We are not looking at voter turnout merely in terms of percentage."

During this time, another journalist inquired how 'participatory' the election was with the Awami League excluded. In response, Ijabs said, "Regarding the question about excluding a specific political party from the political process, I can say this—we have come here to observe the election. Our interest lies in the electoral process."

He added, "Beyond this, 'transitional justice' is an extremely painful and sensitive issue for many countries. This includes many European countries as well. But certainly, the election is the way forward."