New US envoy Robert Earl Miller has said his country expects the upcoming polls would be free, fair and credible as he paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“We hope free, fair, credible and peaceful national elections will be held in Bangladesh on Dec 30,” PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim quoted the ambassador as saying during his meeting with the prime minister at Ganabhaban on Monday (Dec 17).

The US ambassador informed the prime minister that his country will send 32 observers to monitor Bangladesh’s upcoming national elections, reports BSS.

“Eleven teams of the US embassy will observe the polls,” he said.

The press secretary said the prime minister briefly described her party’s struggle in restoration of democracy in the country and said that it was only Awami League government which handed over the power peacefully in 2001 in the history of the country.

She said that before the 2014 elections, her government offered some ministries to the opposition to join the polls-time government, but instead they resorted to violence, arson and killing people.

In response to opposition parties’ allegations that their election campaign is being attacked, Sheikh Hasina said two of her party-men also died in violence during the current election campaign.

“I have asked my party-men to keep patience in this regard,” she added.

Regarding the Rohingya issue, the US envoy said that Myanmar should create an environment so that the Rohingyas could return to their homeland safely.

“The USA will continue its support to Bangladesh on Rohingya issue,” he said.

Terming the existing USA-Bangladesh relations as “strong”, Miller said the US wants to extend cooperation further between the two countries in energy and education sectors.

The prime minister sought cooperation from the US ambassador to resume the Dhaka-New York flight, read the BSS report.