The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

A thirty-three-member delegation of International Observers from the National Democratic Institute (NDI) arrived in the city yesterday to monitor the national parliamentary elections on December 29.

The delegation is co-led by Howard B. Schaffer, former US ambassador to Bangladesh, and Andrey Mclaughlin, formar MP and former leader of the New Democratic party of Canada. The delegation will also include Larry Garber, former US Agency for International Development (USAID) mission director for West Bank in Gaza, and Peter Manikas, director for Asia programmes of NDI.

The group includes political and civic leaders, regional and election experts, media specialists, and human right activists from ten countries in Asia, Europe and North America. The National Democratic Institute (NDI) yesterday announced the arrival of the delegates.

NDI and its local partners work to promote openness and accountability in government by building political and civic organisations, safeguarding elections, and promoting citizen participation. The Institute brings together individuals and groups to share ideas, knowledge, experiences and expertise that can be adapted to the needs of individual countries.

The purpose of the delegation is to demonstrate the international community's interest in Bangladesh's return to a democratically elected government. NDI fielded a pre-election delegation to Dhaka from November 16 through 19 and has had long -term observers in Bangladesh since November 20 to assess the political environment and preparations for the parliamentary polls.