Dhaka is "disheartened" over the US statement expressing disappointment over the “government's inability” to grant credentials and issue visas to foreign election monitors of ANFREL, says the foreign ministry. 
“Bangladesh is disheartened to see a press statement issued by the United States Department of State on the upcoming national parliamentary elections to be held in a festive atmosphere on Dec 30, which is being participated by all registered political parties in the country,” it said in a statement on Monday (Dec 23).
The election is being conducted by the Bangladesh Election Commission, which is a constitutional body and independent in the exercise of its functions, it reads.
‘Odhikar’, an NGO of Bangladesh, is the founding member of ANFREL, the foreign ministry said in the statement before adding, “Odhikar is widely known for its disproportionate bias and prejudice against Bangladesh, in particular, the government of Awami League, which is evident in its various reports, including the recent ones published in October and December 2018.” 
It also said one of the "top-ranking Bangladesh members of Odhikar" was appointed as a deputy attorney general during the BNP-Jamaat administration, which the foreign ministry said provided ground for disqualification of the organisation and related entities as an independent and neutral observer.
While Bangladesh welcomes international election observers to observe the election, it certainly has the responsibility to ensure that the applicants meet all the required criteria as per applicable laws and guidelines of the Election Commission, reads the statement.
As of now, 175 foreign election observers from different countries and organizations have been accredited to undertake election monitoring missions in Bangladesh.
Accreditation of international election observers from a number of organisations, including ANFREL, is currently under process, said the MoFA.
In addition, the Election Commission has registered 118 local organisations and also approved 25,920 local observers to monitor the polls.
Under Section 91 (C) (1) of the Representation of the People Order 1972, the Commission is supposed to ‘permit a person as election observer who is in no way associated with or affiliated to any political party or contesting candidate and who is not known for his sympathy, direct or indirect, for any particular political ideology, creed or cause or for any manifesto, programme, aims or objects of any political party or contesting candidate'.
As one of the largest democracies in the world and mutually respectful to others, Bangladesh would expect and welcome constructive statements toward its democratic process from its friends and partners, said the MoFA.
Bangladesh has reiterated that it would continue to grant credentials to eligible international and local election observers to observe the 11th national parliamentary elections to be held on Dec 30.
In a statement on Sunday (Dec 22), US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino said the US is disappointed by the “Bangladesh government's inability to grant credentials and issue visas within the timeframe necessary to conduct a credible international monitoring mission to the majority of international election monitors from the ANFREL”.
"As a result, ANFREL was forced to cancel its observation mission for the December 30 national election," he said.