US State Dept. Must 'Take Action' Against Bangladesh Over Election Fraud - Lawmakers

Congressmen in a letter urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to take action in the wake of reports of election fraud in Bangladesh

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th February, 2019) US Congressmen in a letter urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to take action in the wake of reports of election fraud in Bangladesh.

"The members highlighted reports of election fraud, improper election rigging and voter suppression surrounding Bangladesh's December 2018 election, urging the Department to take action," a press release accompanying the letter said on Tuesday.

The lawmakers cited violence, mass arrests and crackdown on free speech in the campaign leading up to the election as well as reported voter suppression and election fraud as threats to democratic institutions that need to be addressed.

The voting irregularities in Bangladesh, the lawmakers added, also threaten US security interests in the Indo-Pacific region. The lawmakers, in the letter, did not explain this correlation.

US House Representatives Eliot Engel, Michael McCaul, Brad Sherman, Ted Yoho, Andy Levin and Ann Wagner co-signed the letter.