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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Commonwealth to Observe Parliamentary Election in Bangladesh

31 May 1996

A team of 12 Commonwealth Observers, together with a supporting team from the Commonwealth Secretariat, will be present in Bangladesh for the Parliamentary Election which is to be held on 12 June.

In making the announcement today, Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku said that the Commonwealth was responding to an invitation from the Government of Bangladesh for a Commonwealth Observer Group to observe the Parliamentary Election. A planning mission from the Commonwealth Secretariat which visited Bangladesh on 10 May established that there was widespread support among the major political parties for a Commonwealth presence during the election.

The Commonwealth team for Bangladesh will be led by Tan Sri (Dr) Mohd Ghazali Shafie, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia. The other observers will be:

Mr Errol W Bethel
Parliamentary Commissoner, The Bahamas

Mr Justin McClair Daniel
Chief Elections Officer, St Lucia

Mr Rueben T Kaiulo MBE
Electoral Commissioner, Papua New Guinea

Hon Hulda Stanley Kibacha MP
Member of Parliament, Tanzania

Ms Alice Killam
Electoral Officer, Canada

Ms Lindiwe Maseko MP
Member of Parliament, South Africa

Hon Dilan Perera MP
Member of Parliament, Sri Lanka

Hon Johannah-Joy Phumaphi MP
Member of Parliament, Botswana

Dr Kanwaljit Soin
Member of Parliament, Singapore

Lord Waverley
Member House of Lords, Britain

Mr Trevor Willson
Assistant Electoral Commissioner, Australia


The Group will be supported by an eight-member team from the Commonwealth Secretariat, led by Professor Reg Austin, Director of the Legal and Consitutional Affairs Division.

 

Note to Editors:

The mission to Bangladesh will represent the 18th election observed by the Commonwealth since October 1990, including elections in Malaysia, Zambia, Seychelles, Pakistan, South Africa and most recently, Sierra Leone. These observer missions are to be seen in the context of a decision taken by Commonwealth Heads of Government to support the promotion of democracy in a number of ways, including through observation, on request, of elections in member states.

 

96/20  31 May 1996

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