The forthcoming January 7 election presents a landscape lacking substantive opposition. Electors are offered solely with the options of the Awami League or the Awami circle. Given this absence of competing factions, the anticipation is for a notably diminished voter turnout. These astute observations assessing the pre-election milieu come from a discerning European mission in Dhaka, and their comprehensive evaluation was relayed to the EU headquarters in Brussels.

The mission's assessment forthrightly articulated concerns regarding the conduct of the January 7 elections, expressing doubts about their fairness, freedom, and inclusivity. There exists a notable lack of public confidence in the integrity of this electoral process. Specifically, the assessment references remarks made by Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzak during a private television appearance on December 17. Razzak disclosed that despite an offer to release all BNP leaders in a single night, the party failed to persuade them to participate in the election. Furthermore, Razzak highlighted the deliberate incarceration of BNP and opposition activists by the government as a deliberate tactic.

The letter asserted that Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader was coerced into a concession with the Awami League, yielding 26 seats due to external pressures. Before this arrangement, reports indicated the involvement of intelligence agencies exerting influence on party members. Allegedly, GM Quader found himself in a situation of encirclement. Additionally, the letter highlighted concerns regarding the exclusion of 70 Awami League MPs from nominations, discontent among coalition partners, and the presence of placeholder candidates.

The assessment conducted by the EU's Dhaka office highlighted the significant strike organised by the opposition parties led by the BNP, shedding light on the repression they faced. Reports indicated the incarceration of approximately 20,000 leaders and activists, among them BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who remain detained.

The assessment noted a recurring pattern where both the BNP and Awami League attributed blame to each other for the instances of violence, yet the actual perpetrators responsible for these incidents remained elusive and unaccounted for.