What the US state dept says about caretaker govt

When asked whether the United States government will support a new caretaker government, a US State Department spokesperson reiterated that they don't support any political party and that its focus is now on closely monitoring the electoral environment in the country.

At a US Department of State press briefing on Monday, a journalist asked, "As the United States and the international community in Bangladesh are committed to creating a peaceful and credible environment for upcoming elections, for creating that environment, will you be with the people of Bangladesh and reflect their will under a new caretaker government?"

To this, the department's Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said, "So it’s important to remember – and you’ve heard me say this a number of times before, including in answering your friend’s question – that the US does not support any political party in Bangladesh."

Patel added, "Right now our focus continues to be closely monitoring the electoral environment in Bangladesh leading up to January’s election, engaging appropriately with the government, with opposition leaders, with civil society and other stakeholders to urge them to work together for the benefit of the Bangladeshi people."

Another journalist asked Patel, "Will you ask nationalist party to stop the violence and participate the upcoming general election?"

Patel replied, "We continue to closely monitor the electoral environment in Bangladesh leading up to this January’s election, and we take any incidents of violence incredibly seriously.

"We are engaging and will continue to engage with the government, with opposition parties, with civil society, and other stakeholders to urge them to work together for the benefit of the Bangladeshi people."

/KN/