The joint International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) pre-election assessment mission from the US held a meeting with an Awami League delegation today to discuss the next national election in Bangladesh.
The meeting began at 12:30 pm at the Westin Hotel in Dhaka’s Gulshan area.
A delegation led by Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader attended the meeting. Other AL delegation members are International Affairs Secretary Dr Shammi Ahmed, Presidium member Muhammad Farooq Khan, Office Secretary Biplab Barua, Information and Research Secretary Dr Salim Mahmud, and Executive Committee Member Prof Mohammad Ali Arafat.
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The six-member joint IRI and NDI pre-election assessment mission arrived in Dhaka on Saturday to follow electoral preparations and conduct an independent and impartial assessment.
From October 8 to 12, they will meet with a diverse group of election stakeholders including government officials, political party leaders, election authorities, civil society, and others.
Read: Quader wants to know: ‘How to hold an election for which there is no constitutional provision?’
The delegation is being led by Karl F Inderfurth, former Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, and Bonnie Glick, former Deputy USAID Administrator. It also includes Maria Chin Abdullah, former member of the House of Representatives, Malaysia; Jamil Jaffer, former associate counsel to the President of the United States; Manpreet Singh Anand, NDI regional director for Asia-Pacific; and Johanna Kao, IRI senior director, Asia-Pacific Division.