Secretary-General establishes high-level panel to evaluate preparations,

conduct of Bangladesh parliamentary elections

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

In response to a request from the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh, the Secretary-General has established a High-Level Panel for the forthcoming parliamentary elections slated for December.  The Panel is tasked with assessing the preparations and conduct of the elections through visits to Bangladesh before and during the elections.  The Panel will be headed by Francesc Vendrell, former Special Representative in Afghanistan of the European Union and previously Personal Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Afghanistan.  Its other members are Bhojraj Pokharel, Chief Election Commissioner of Nepal, and Aracelly Santana, former Deputy Director of the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division and most recently Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Nepal.

The Panel will report to the Secretary-General with its key findings and recommendations.  It will undertake its first visit from 23 to 29 November, and will return for about a week at the time of the elections.

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For information media • not an official record