Feb election a benchmark for future polls

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has said the February 12 general elections would set a benchmark for all future polls in Bangladesh.

He made the remarks when the newly appointed US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Brent Christensen, paid his maiden courtesy call on the chief adviser at the state guest house Jamuna in Dhaka on Thursday, said the chief adviser’s press wing yesterday morning. 

During the meeting, the two sides discussed a wide range of issues, including the upcoming general elections, sweeping labour laws approved by the interim government, the planned Bangladesh-US tariff agreement and Rohingya crisis.

The chief adviser highlighted key foreign policy initiatives of the interim government including Dhaka’s planned bid for ASEAN membership, and the need to revive Saarc as a key platform for regional and economic cooperation in South Asia.

Yunus said the government was fully prepared to hold free, fair, and transparent elections on February 12. He noted that the European Union would deploy a large number of election observers and expressed hope that other development partners would also send observers to monitor the polls.

“It will be a festive election. It will set the standard for good elections in the future. Let’s keep our fingers crossed,” the chief adviser said.

In response, Christensen, who arrived in Bangladesh earlier this month, said he was looking forward to working with whoever wins the February elections. 

The US envoy praised the interim government’s efforts to implement vital reforms and commended Prof Yunus’s leadership over the past 18 months.

Christensen appreciated the newly promulgated labour laws. 

The two sides also discussed recent immigrant US visa restrictions imposed on 75 countries, including Bangladesh.

National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman and SDG Coordinator Lamiya Morshed were also present at the meeting.