Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud emphasized on Sunday that a joint mission by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI) acknowledged a decrease in violence during the January 7 election compared to previous polls.

Addressing questions at the Foreign Service Academy, Mahmud stated that the quality of the recent election in Bangladesh surpassed that of previous ones in the country and the wider subcontinent. He described the election as fair and commendable.

While acknowledging the NDI-IRI report's findings, Mahmud noted that the report highlighted the attempts by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies to boycott and resist the election, which resulted in violence including deaths and arson. He stressed the importance of addressing these issues in the report.

Mahmud clarified that the government is neither rejecting nor accepting the report outright but is examining all observations, including those from friendly countries and other sources.

The NDI-IRI technical assessment mission's report, released on Saturday, highlighted a reduction in physical and online violence during the 2024 election cycle compared to previous ones. It offered recommendations to various stakeholders, including the Election Commission, government branches, political parties, and civil society, aimed at mitigating the risk of violence in future elections.