<div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><b>The United States has reiterated its desire to see free and fair elections in Bangladesh, saying that it does not want to speculate the outcome of the upcoming general election.&nbsp;</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I’m not going to speculate on the outcome of the elections," US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters during a regular media briefing on December 4.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I will say what we have said a number of times before," he added.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Miller said the US will continue to engage with the government, opposition, civil society, and other stakeholders to urge them to work together for the benefit of the Bangladeshi people to ensure free and fair elections.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He said the US also wants to see that elections are conducted in a peaceful manner.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The next national election is scheduled to be held on January 7, 2024.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A fraction of BNP, the major opposition political party, has resorted to burning private and public properties, blockades, and hartals, and are boycotting the upcoming election although many of its own leaders are participating, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Election Commission received a total of 2,711 nomination papers against 300 constituencies across the country.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The nomination papers were scrutinized on December 1-4, 2023, and candidatures can be withdrawn by December 17, 2023.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The schedule for the 12th national parliamentary election was announced by Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal on November 15, 2023. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>