UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday night called on all stakeholders in Bangladesh to ensure that the upcoming general elections are held in an environment free of violence, intimidation and coercion.

General elections will be held in Bangladesh on Dec. 30, and there have been incidents of electoral violence and arrests of opposition members.

All Bangladeshi citizens must feel safe and confident in exercising their right to vote, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for Guterres, adding that civil society and electoral observers should be fully supported to play their role in the process.

The UN chief also reiterated the continued commitment of the United Nations to support a peaceful and democratic Bangladesh, the spokesman added.