Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed spoke to reporters after a meeting with a seven-member EU delegation at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the city’s Agargaon today. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, Sept 29, 2025 (BSS) – Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed today said a 150-member European Union (EU) observers’ team will come to Bangladesh to observe the upcoming 13th parliamentary election.

“This observer team of around 150 members will arrive in Bangladesh in phases after the election schedule is announced,” he said while talking to reporters after a meeting with a seven-member EU delegation at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the city’s Agargaon.

The EU delegation was led by senior election expert Riccardo Chelleri.

The EC secretary said that the observer mission will be implemented through the signing of a tripartite memorandum of understanding between the European Union, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, and the Election Commission. 

In continuation of this agreement, the EU observer team will come to Bangladesh at different times and will carry out observation activities until the completion of the entire electoral process, including the publication of the gazette.

The EC secretary said, “The EU delegation asked us various questions, such as whether they will be able to enter the polling stations. They wanted to know about the secret room of the polling officer and how it is organized. They also asked whether they will be able to stay during the vote counting. They want to come from the time the election schedule is announced.”

He said the delegation also visited Rangpur and Chattogram. “They are satisfied with the progress of our work. They will return tomorrow with clarifications of the terms. After leaving, they will send us a report. They will provide us with a draft which we will review before moving towards signing.”

Replying to a query, the EC secretary said, “They will send us their names along with their details. For example, if foreign observers come, they will have visa issues and security concerns. We will address all these matters in phases.”

On September 22, an eight-member European Union “exploratory mission” team met with Election Commission (EC) officials regarding the possible sending of an observation team to Bangladesh. 

They met with four EC officials led by Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd) Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah and EC Secretariat Joint Secretary (Election Management-2) Md. Moin Uddin Khan.