The European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission (EOM) Chief Observer Evers Ijabs said that the European Union wants to see a fair, free and peaceful election in Bangladesh.

He made these comments during an exchange of views with journalists at the Sylhet Press Club on Friday afternoon. Sylhet Press Club President Muktabis Un Noor and EU Election Observation Team Press Officer Everhard Liu were present at the meeting at the Aminur Rashid Chowdhury auditorium of the press club. Sylhet Press Club General Secretary Mohammad Sirajul Islam moderated the meeting.

The Head of Mission also said, “The EU’s relationship with Bangladesh is old and long-standing. We always want to see Bangladesh as a dynamic state. We hope that through the organization of free, credible and peaceful elections, a new parliament will be formed in Bangladesh and the country will emerge as a dynamic state.”

Responding to questions from journalists, Evers Ijobs said, “This historic election is very important to strengthen democratic institutions through the ballot box. Therefore, it is important to organize the election in a peaceful, credible and transparent manner.”

Stating that their activities are being conducted based on the three technical evaluation principles of independence, impartiality and non-interference, IJABS said, “We will observe the election process, but will not certify the results. These elections are solely for the people of Bangladesh. The EU believes that Bangladesh is capable of organizing participatory, credible and fair elections.”

He said that the EU-EOM will release a preliminary observation and hold a press conference in Dhaka on February 14, two days after the vote. A full, final report outlining recommendations for future elections will be published in about two months and presented to the authorities, he said.

The EU Head of Mission said the full complement of observers will include around 200 from all EU member states, as well as Canada, Norway and Switzerland. They include a core team of 11 analysts based in Dhaka, 56 long-term observers, 90 short-term observers deployed on the eve of the vote, and observers from diplomatic missions of EU member states and partner countries. A delegation from the European Parliament will also strengthen the mission.

Ijobs said the mission will be conducted in line with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation approved under the auspices of the United Nations in 2005. He expressed hope that the work of the EU observation team will also be helpful in gaining the trust and confidence of the people.

Ijobs said the EU EOM will also assess the overall environment for political and civic participation, including for women, youth and other vulnerable groups. The media and social media monitoring units will assess how well voters are able to make informed decisions, he said.

Incidentally, at the invitation of the Bangladesh government, the European Union has deployed an Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM) for the parliamentary elections to be held on 12 February 2026. The mission, led by Member of the European Parliament Ijabs, began operations in late December 2025 and is being expanded with the arrival of 56 long-term observers. The long-term observers will be deployed in 64 districts of Bangladesh. This will mark the first full-fledged EU election observation mission in the country since 2008.