Time Digital Report: It is up to the people, media and political parties to assess the credibility of yesterday's 12th parliamentary election, an election observer said today.
President of Kolkata Press Club Snehasis Sur said this when answering a question during a press briefing of foreign observers at the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka.
Some foreign observers urged the Election Commission to take strong steps against those involved in the violence.
Upon their arrival in Bangladesh on January 5, they learnt that some election opposers set fire to a train in Dhaka, vandalised polling stations, and set fire to private and public vehicles, the observers said.
"We strongly condemn this type of activity to jeopardise the election process," said Syed Ali Zahir, MP of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress.
"We ask the Bangladesh Election Commission to take strong steps against those involved in the violence," he said.
Independent Observers from the US, UK, Japan, Iraq, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Maldives were present. They came to observe the polls at the invitation of the Election Commission.
They said they visited at least 30 polling centres in and around Dhaka and found long queues of men and women for voting.
He also said the voters did not find any obstacles or intimidation.
Syed Ali Zahir, however, said they recommend that the people of political parties should not be in and around the polling centres to make sure that the voters vote without any fear.
