United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on all stakeholders to ensure an environment free of violence, intimidation and coercion before, during and after the general election in Bangladesh. He, in the run-up to the December 30 general election in Bangladesh, said an environment free from violence will help enable "peaceful, credible and inclusive" polls. "All Bangladeshi citizens, including minorities and women, must feel safe and confident in exercising their right to vote,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General.

Meanwhile, the US ambassador Earl Robert Miller held a meeting with the Election Commission and expressed concern over the level of violence ahead of the December 30 polls. In a statement issued yesterday, Dujarric said civil society and electoral observers should be fully supported to play their role in the process. The UN Secretary General reiterated the continued commitment of the United Nations to support a peaceful and democratic Bangladesh.

In a tweet message posted yesterday, Dujarric said, “Ahead of the upcoming elections in Bangladesh, the UN General Secretary calls for an environment free of violence, intimidation and coercion.” In the message, he also said that all Bangladeshis, including minorities and women, must feel safe and confident in exercising their right to vote.

After a meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital, the US Ambassador Earl Robert Miller said, “The US is concerned with the high level of violence during campaigning for over two weeks. All parties, minorities and female candidates, have been victims of violence.”

The envoy said he has urged the Election Commission (EC) to take steps to stop the violence. “It appears that opposition party candidates have borne the brunt of the violence. I appreciated the opportunity to consult with the EC to see what plans it has to create a conductive atmosphere for the voters, no matter their political affiliation, so that they feel safe to go to polls on Sunday and cast their votes for the candidates of their choice,” he added.

“Bangladesh is rightfully proud of its democratic tradition, including elections in which more than 70 per cent of the electorate turn out to vote. I wish my country has 70 per cent turn out,” he said.

Miller also said in any democratic election, there must be space for peaceful expression and assembly, for independent media to do its job covering electoral development, for participants to have access to information, and for all individuals to be able to partake in the electoral process without harassment, intimidation or violence.

Regarding the statement of the UN secretary general, Miller said: “The secretary general has called all stakeholders to ensure an environment free of violence, intimidation and coercion before and after the election so as to enable a peaceful, credible and inclusive election.” “All Bangladeshi citizens, including minorities, must be safe in exercising their right to vote. Civil society and electoral observers should be fully supported to play their role in the process. The secretary general reiterated the continued commitment of UN to support a peaceful and democratic Bangladesh,” he added. The ambassador further said that the US wished all Bangladeshis a free, fair, tolerant and peaceful election day on December 30.