Mushfiqul Fazal, UN correspondent
The United Nations obviously might have things to say after the general election scheduled to be held for January 7, said the UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric on Thursday.
He made the comment while replying to a query from this correspondent at the regular noon briefing held at UN headquarters about whether the UN chief will take any personal initiative to restore democracy and voting rights in Bangladesh as the government is heading towards another lopsided polls.
About UN’s position on holding a free and fair election in Bangladesh, the UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson said their position remained unchanged in this regard.
Dujarric in the briefing said, “We do call for free and fair elections where people can vote freely without any sort of intimidation. Obviously, we may have things to say after the elections, but our position remains unchanged.”
In reply to another question by another journalist about the arson attack on a moving train in Dhaka, the spokesperson extended his condolences to all those who died in the incident.
“I think it is incumbent on the authorities in Bangladesh to fully investigate the source and to bring those responsible to justice,” he said.
MR/
