M Mushfiqul Fazal, UN Correspondent

The United Nations wants to see a national election in Bangladesh which can be certified as free and fair.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) president Dennis Francis said this in reply to a question from UN correspondent Mushfiqul Fazal on government’s attempt to hold a one-sided polls with crackdown on opposition amid the boycott of all major political parties in Bangladesh. The special briefing was held on Wednesday at UN headquarters in New York on Pacific Islands Forum and COP 28.

Mentioning that Bangladesh has a long and strong tradition of democratic governance, Francis said realizing the importance of having tradition of democratic governance, Bangladesh authorities will hold the next election in such a way which can be certified as free and fair.

The UNGA president said, “Holding a free and fair election would be in the best interest of the people of Bangladesh. I believe that it would certainly strengthen their potential to maintain and even expand the relationships with the United Nations and international system.”

He further said, “Democracy is an extremely important foundation upon which sustainable development can be procured. And Bangladesh needs to support sustainable development consistent with agenda 2023.”

78th president of the UNGA Francis expressed his hope for a democratic election in Bangladesh and said, “Best of luck in your democratic election.”