Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and members of the Commonwealth Observer Group have arrived in Bangladesh to begin monitoring preparations for the country’s parliamentary election and referendum scheduled for February 12.

The high-level team is in Dhaka to assess pre-election arrangements, engage key stakeholders and evaluate the overall environment ahead of voting day.

Mr. Akufo-Addo confirmed the group’s arrival in a Facebook post on Sunday, February 8, noting that preliminary engagements had already commenced.

As part of the Commonwealth’s election observation process, the team is holding consultations with a wide range of actors to gauge the transparency, inclusiveness and credibility of the electoral process.

According to the former Ghanaian leader, the observer mission has begun meetings with representatives of the media, civil society organisations, political parties, as well as youth and women’s groups, to gain broad insight into Bangladesh’s political and electoral landscape ahead of the polls.