The European Union has decided not to send a full-fledged observation team during Bangladesh's upcoming national elections due to "budgetary constraints," said Election Commission Secretary Md Jahangir Alam.

"The EU will not be sending a full-fledged observation team due to lack of budget for FY2023-24," the EC secretary told reporters on Thursday.

Quoting an email sent by the EU to the Election Commission, EC secretary Jahangir said the EU thanked the election commission for overall cooperation and hoped to keep in regular communication with the commission.

On 9 July this year, a six-member Election Exploratory Mission (ExM) of the EU delegation which visited Bangladesh to observe the political situation in the country prior to the national election.

The EU also did not send any observers in the last two national elections, with the last such visit during the 2008 elections.

The EU mission mainly wanted to know whether the country's condition is conducive for fair elections considering the last two national polls, the risk of violence, the existence of sufficient legal framework, capacity and preparedness of the Election Commission, press freedom and freedom of expression in the country.

In the weeks since the delegation's arrival, they held meetings with high officials of government bodies including the foreign ministry, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Bangladesh Police, Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tract Affairs, the attorney general, home affairs, information ministry, and law ministry.

During these meetings, the EU mainly inquired about the possibility of violence before the upcoming national election, poll time security measures, and the overall human rights situation.

The EU delegation met a number of civil society members, some of whom made clear that they still questioned whether a level playing field could be created under the current process.

The delegation also held a series of meetings on 15 July with the major political parties, where each made their position clear.

While the BNP reiterated the demand for a caretaker government, which the Jamaat-e-Islami also supported, the Jatiya Party chose to strike a balance, urging the government to sit for dialogue.

The ruling Awami League, as always, said the election-time government would be formed only under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

In a meeting with top journalists of the country, the EU was made aware of the concerns regarding the Digital Security Act.