Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Monday said that foreign observers seem confident about the Election Commission's ability to conduct free and fair elections in line with the constitution.

He said this to reporters after a meeting with a group of foreign election observers at his secretariat office on Monday afternoon.

U.S. political analyst Terry L. Easley, and Irish European Union affairs reporter Nick Powell were the two foreigners in the delegation. The others were the Election Monitoring Forum's Chairman Abed Ali, and directors Dr Abul Kalam Azad, Dr Azadul Haque, and Mohammad Iqbal Bahar.

Awami League Relief and Social Welfare Secretary Aminul Islam Amin attended the meeting.

Hasan Mahmud said, "The election monitoring team came to meet me and asked me many questions about the upcoming election. In particular, they discussed what the government is preparing for the next election or what is the present situation of the Election Commission."

"I have told them that the election will be held under the Election Commission and the present government will only play the role of a facilitator during the election," Hasan said.

The minister said after the announcement of the election schedule, the government does not have authority over the field administration, police, public administration and other institutions that are engaged in election work. "The government cannot transfer any official or take any disciplinary action against any officer without the permission of the Election Commission."

"I think they have realised that it is possible to hold a free and fair election in Bangladesh in the light of the current constitution under the Election Commission," he added.

Hasan Mahmud said, "They came to know that the city corporation elections were very free and fair and the voter participation was more than 50 percent.... All those who harassed a candidate in Dhaka-17 constituency have been arrested."

Replying to a question on BNP's participation in the election, Hasan Mahmud said, "Most of the BNP leaders want to contest the election. BNP is a party that is not allowing anyone from the party to participate in any election to the Union Parishad or the City Corporation. But almost everyone in their party wants to contest elections."