The 13th National Parliament elections were held in a fair and credible manner. The elections were competitive and internationally recognized. However, the European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission expressed disappointment that the number of women elected was not promising.

The head of the EU election observation mission, Evers Ijabs, made these remarks at a news conference at a hotel in the capital on Saturday (February 14) regarding the evaluation of the 13th parliamentary elections.

Evers Ijabs said that it has been possible to conduct the 13th National Parliament elections with credibility. The elections have been competitive and of international standards. The Election Commission has been able to work independently and with credibility.

He said the elections were credible and efficiently conducted, marking an important step towards restoring democratic governance and the rule of law. For the first time since 2008, the elections were truly competitive, conducted under a new legal framework that was broadly in line with international standards and largely respected fundamental freedoms.

Sporadic local political violence, however, is often fueled by manipulated online narratives, undermining the democratic process, Evers said.

The EU Head of Observer said that the Election Commission had acted independently and transparently, maintaining the trust of stakeholders and upholding the integrity of the elections. The mission concluded that the electoral legal framework was conducive to the conduct of democratic elections and that the 2025 amendments strengthened inclusiveness and credibility. Further reforms are needed to enhance legal certainty and close gaps that undermine institutional accountability and transparency.

He said, “We have seen that the Election Commission has taken a proactive approach to rebuilding public confidence in the elections. We have observed that the support given to the Commission by the interim government and other stakeholders has enabled the Commission to work with transparency, respond promptly to media queries, share information of public interest and continue discussions with political parties.”

Expressing disappointment over the participation of women representatives in the 13th National Parliament election, Evers Ijabs said that just as the number of women candidates in this election was negligible, the number of women representatives elected in the vote is not at all promising.

Notably, the European Union has sent a total of 200 election observers, 90 of whom are short-term observers. This is the first full-fledged European Union election observation mission to Bangladesh since 2008.