Dhaka, Jan. 28 -- The United States will take no side in Bangladesh's election and is prepared to work with whichever government is chosen by voters, according to US Ambassador Brent Christensen.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Bangladesh's Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin in Dhaka on Wednesday, Christensen said the outcome of the election must be decided solely by the Bangladeshi people.

His comments come a week after a Washington Post report, citing diplomatic records, said US diplomats in Dhaka believed Jamaat-e-Islami could achieve its "best-ever result" in the vote. The report suggested Washington was seeking closer engagement with the Islamist party based on those assessments.

Christensen said the US wanted the ele...