The bipartisan and international pre-election delegation comprised of representatives from International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) on Sunday said that it is the people of Bangladesh who will ultimately determine the credibility and legitimacy of their elections and their country’s democratic development.

The delegation offered their pre-election statement in the "spirit of supporting and strengthening" democratic institutions in Bangladesh.

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IRI and NDI conducted the mission in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation.

Journalists and media outlets should be free to critically cover all political parties, government actors, and issues in Bangladesh and citizens should be free to express themselves, both without fear of retaliation, according to a joint statement released today.

Civil society organizations and community-based organizations, particularly those that work on democracy and human rights issues, should not face threats to curtail or otherwise limit their activities, they said.

The new Cyber Security Act should not be misused or abused, including to target dissenting speech; the government should continue to seek input from citizens and other stakeholders on its implementation, the statement said.

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Election regulations should ensure that citizen observers can access all aspects of the election process, in accordance with the global norms enumerated in the Declaration of Global Principles and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations.

The delegation wants to see commitment to nonviolence and hold perpetrators of political violence accountable.

"Political party leaders and activists should not face violence and should receive equal protection from state authorities when engaging in legal and nonviolent political activities," reads the IRI-NDI statement.

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All parties should publicly commit to nonviolence and condemn violence committed by their own party members or supporters, they said.

All parties should subscribe to a multiparty code of conduct committing to electoral nonviolence.

Political parties and other stakeholders should take steps to prevent, identify and address online and offline violence against women in elections.

They support creating conditions to allow all parties to engage in meaningful political competition, including bolstering independent election management.

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They also laid emphasis on strengthening safeguards for the independence and political neutrality of the Election Commission, and empowering it with increased staffing and funding.

The Election Commission should provide all reasonable accommodations to ensure the full participation of people with disabilities in the election process, the joint statement noted.

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