Odhikar believes in encouraging the electorate to vote freely and without fear to popularise the concept that the country needs the vote of every citizen. It also aims at campaigning and monitoring for free and fair conduct of the electoral process to ensure voters’ rights. Odhikar maintains a close liaison with the Bangladesh Election Commission.
Odhikar has been monitoring national and local government elections in Bangladesh since 1996. The monitoring work of Odhikar is not only limited to election day, but also covers pre and post election periods. As a founding member of the Asian Network for Free Elections – ANFREL Foundation, Odhikar is also engaged in international election observation. To develop skills of election monitoring and observation, Odhikar conducts training programmes, orientation courses and also pre-assessment surveys regarding human rights in relation to elections.
