The British high commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke on Sunday said that her country wanted free, fair, participatory and peaceful elections in Bangladesh as the country would hold the next parliamentary elections in December this year or January next year.

‘We are encouraging free, fair, participatory and peaceful elections in Bangladesh so that people of Bangladesh can exercise their democratic rights,’ Cooke told reporters after holding a meeting with the chief election commissioner, Kazi Habibul Awal.

‘We have discussed the vital role of strong democratic independent institutions, and the role of media and the civil society,’ she said.

The meeting was held at Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka.

The CEC said that the British envoy put emphasis on holding a participatory election in Bangladesh.

The commission also criticised the envoy for its role in different issues during the meeting.