In an invitation issued on Wednesday, the ECP said that the approval of observers will be subject to security clearance and they will also be required to follow advisories laid out by the interior and foreign ministries.

“We believe that the presence of international observers will add a valuable dimension to the electoral process, ensuring its transparency and impartiality while lending credibility to our electoral process<” the invitation said.

The ECP said that the organisations observing the election ‘may’ submit a report on any irregularities seen during the election and provide recommendations.

To qualify as observers, the persons should be able to furnish authorisation from their organisation along with necessary documents and display a card issued by the ECP at all times.

Applications for visas will be made on the online portal on the foreign ministry’s website, and an accreditation form can be downloaded from the ECP’s website.

The ECP also said in its invitation that the polls have ‘tentatively’ been fixed for the end of January next year.