Mushfiqul Fazal, State Department correspondent
The US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller has said they are surprised why anyone would object when Washington calls for free and fair elections in Bangladesh.
Calling for free and fair polls is not interference in internal affairs, said Miller while responding to a question on Bangladesh in a press briefing of the US Department of State on Monday.
Miller said, “I don’t know why anyone would object to us calling for free and fair elections.”
He made the comment in response to a question on recent criticism from China, Russia and Iran that said the statements and letters from the US and European Union politicians were interference in Bangladesh's internal affairs.
Russia claimed last week that Western calls for “free and fair” elections in Bangladesh are an act of “neo-colonialism.”
Russia Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova defined the calls as “another attempt at blatant interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.”
In the briefing, State Department correspondent Mushfiqul Fazal asked “The U.S. strong desire to see free, fair, and inclusive election has been termed by the Russia, China, and Iran as interference, as we have seen very harsh criticism last week from the Moscow and China, and obviously, Iran, they documented the - a film by the state-owned TV network. I did not see any statement from DPRK, though. So what is your comment on that?”
In reply, Miller said, “I don’t know why anyone would object to us calling for free and fair elections. I will note that the prime minister of Bangladesh has repeatedly stated her own commitment to free and fair elections. It’s a desire that we share as a friend and partner of Bangladesh for over 50 years.”
He said, “We do not support one political party over the other; we support a genuine democratic process. And as I said in response to another question earlier, we don’t consider it interference in internal affairs when other countries raise our elections process with us. We welcome those discussions as an opportunity to strengthen our democracy, and we don’t know why any other countries would object.”
In another question on the visit of the US under-secretary for civilian security, democracy, and human rights and US special coordinator for Tibetan issues Uzra Zeya and assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu, this correspondent asked “Under Secretary Zeya and Assistant Secretary Lu are visiting the region and Bangladesh. Will they engage with the ruling authority and the main opposition party BNP to make an atmosphere for holding a free, fair, and inclusive election in Bangladesh, as people of Bangladesh are demanding an election under a neutral caretaker government?”
In response, the US State Department Spokesperson said, “You’re right, the under secretary will travel to Bangladesh from July 11th to the 14th. She will meet with senior government officials to discuss shared humanitarian concerns, including the Rohingya refugee crisis, labor issues, human rights, free and fair elections, and combating trafficking in persons. She will also engage with civil society leaders on freedom of expression and association, human labor rights - inclusive of vulnerable groups - and governance and democracy.”
NR/
