UK Wants Participatory Polls In Bangladesh: Cooke

British High Commissioner to Dhaka Sarah Cooke says the UK wants to see a neutral and participatory national election in Bangladesh.

The UK will provide all sorts of assistance to this end, she said Monday (March 10) after meeting Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin.

She said they had a fruitful discussion over the next national polls.

CEC Nasir said the high commissioner enquired about preparations for the upcoming elections.

“She also wanted to know about our preparations for the elections. They want to help. We told them everything we are doing,” he said.

Nasir said they are moving ahead with a December election timeline.

Bangladesh is gearing up for what is expected to be the most neutral election in a decade. The Awami League, which had been in office since 2008 until its ouster in August last year, scrapped the caretaker government system to rig the polls.

An interim government headed by Dr Muhammad Yunus took charge after the Awami League was removed from office in a student-led mass movement. It has reformed the Election Commission and promised to organise a free, fair, neutral and participatory election after necessary reforms.