Ahead of the Bangladesh parliamentary election, IRI and NDI held a pre-election assessment mission (PEAM) from October 8 to 11, 2023, composed of Bonnie Glick (IRI Co-Chair), former Deputy USAID Administrator; Karl F. Inderfurth (NDI Co-Chair), former Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs; Maria Chin Abdullah, former member of the House of Representatives, Malaysia; Jamil Jaffer, former Associate Counsel to the President of the United States; Johanna Kao, IRI Senior Director, Asia-Pacific Division; and Manpreet Singh Anand, NDI Regional Director, Asia-Pacific. The PEAM’s purpose was to provide an independent and impartial assessment of preparations of the Bangladesh Election Commission (EC), political contestants, civil society, and other stakeholders ahead of the elections and to demonstrate the international community’s commitment to credible elections and democratic norms. The PEAM met with the EC; the prime minister, several cabinet ministers, and other government officials; party leaders from across the political spectrum; civil society representatives, including citizen election observer group leaders; current and former women members of parliament; representatives of organizations engaging with youth, persons with disabilities and religious minorities; media representatives; members of the legal community; and representatives of the international and diplomatic communities. At the conclusion of the mission, the PEAM offered
1 https://www.ndi.org/dop
five actionable recommendations for election stakeholders in Bangladesh to follow as a roadmap towards a peaceful, transparent, and inclusive election, which included calls to 1) moderate political rhetoric; 2) protect freedom of expression; 3) commit to nonviolence; 4) promote electoral participation; and 5) create a participatory environment.2
