Members of the Election Exploratory Mission from European Union (EU) consisting of Riccardo Chelleri, Dimitra Ioannou, and Cristina Dos Ramos Alves had a meeting with the information minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Wednesday in light of the upcoming national parliamentary elections.
Following their discussions, Hasan Mahmud said “In European countries, election is arranged under the government in power, and I have informed them that the same principle applies in our country according to the law.”
“I further explained that during the elections, the government's role is limited to routine administrative tasks, as all election-related matters are entrusted to the Election Commission,” said the minister.
"The discussion did not touch upon any political agenda," clarified the AL leader.
Read: EU delegation holds meeting with EC on preparations for holding nat'l election
“The EU delegation inquired about the role of our ministry in the country's media landscape. We informed them that the media in Bangladesh is predominantly private, with Bangladesh Television and 35 private TV channels currently broadcasting. Additionally, we have approximately 12,500 daily newspapers, numerous online platforms, FM stations, and community radios, all of which are privately owned, except Bangladesh Betar.”
Responding to queries regarding the inclusion of a caretaker government and the opposition party in the upcoming elections, he said, “There was no discussion regarding the caretaker govt issue. Frankly, no one is concerned about it except for the BNP. The delegation's purpose was to observe the election, not to facilitate the opposition party's participation. However, I conveyed our desire for all political parties, including BNP, to take part in the next elections.”
The minister also mentioned that they discussed the responsibilities of the ministry in addressing contemporary challenges, particularly the chaos stemming from the proliferation of rumours on social media.
Referring to the European Union's recent law amendment, he highlighted the need for social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to register in Bangladesh as per the country's laws.
“Although we have requested their registration, it has not yet been implemented. The platforms are reluctant to promptly remove false or controversial content, with only 10 percent of requests being fulfilled, while the majority remain unaddressed,” he added.
Read more: EU encourages ‘peaceful, fair, participatory’ election in Bangladesh: Ambassador Whiteley