Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, on Tuesday stressed the need for democracy for the genuine development of a country, saying that democracy has been re-established in Bangladesh through the 13th parliamentary election.

“The 13th parliamentary election was one of the freest, most acceptable and fairest elections in the history of Bangladesh,” he said.

The Speaker made the remarks when a delegation of the European Union Mission in Bangladesh, European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) and Bangladesh Society for the Change and Advocacy Nexus paid a courtesy visit to him at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

Hafiz Uddin said election observer teams from the European Union (EU) and various other countries praised the election for its fairness.

The Speaker said the Awami League government had deprived the country of democracy over the past 17 years through injustice, oppression, persecution and extrajudicial killings and the 2024 July mass uprising had once again set Bangladesh on the path of democratic progress.

During the meeting, the delegation exchanged views on ensuring the voting rights of persons with disabilities in Bangladesh's electoral process, increasing their participation in elections and ensuring their overall political representation.

The delegation also shared its views on ensuring the representation of persons with disabilities in the activities of the Constitution Amendment Committee.

It also discussed ways to make parliamentary debates more accessible and understandable for persons with hearing disabilities.

The European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) and the Bangladesh Society of the Deaf and Sign Language Users (B-SCAN) are jointly working to ensure the voting rights and electoral participation of persons with disabilities in Bangladesh.