Bangladesh’s Election Commission Prepares for Expatriate Voting in Upcoming Parliamentary Election
Dhaka, Nov. 10 — The Election Commission of Bangladesh has announced plans to begin sending postal ballots to various foreign destinations a day after the official announcement of the election schedule, ensuring that expatriate voters can exercise their right to vote in the upcoming 13th parliamentary election.
Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah, Election Commissioner, made this statement during a virtual discussion held from Nirbachan Bhaban in the city. He emphasized that the registration app for expatriate voters will be launched on November 18, followed by the distribution of postal ballots to different countries.
The discussion on Out-of-Country Voting (OCV) included participation from expatriate Bangladeshis and officials of Bangladeshi missions stationed in various foreign countries.
Sanaullah noted that the global rate for postal balloting is not satisfactory, stating that the registration rate for postal balloting is only 2.7 percent globally. However, he expressed optimism that Bangladesh could surpass any global standard in terms of postal balloting rates.
He highlighted the significant response and support received from Bangladeshi missions abroad regarding the introduction of postal balloting for expatriates. “For the first time, we are taking votes of expatriates through postal ballots without any prior trial. This is a big challenge,” he said.
The list of candidates will be finalized about three weeks before the election. After that, expatriate voters will need to cast their votes and drop them in the nearest post box. Sanaullah explained that postal ballots must be sent at least 17 days before the election; otherwise, the votes might arrive after the polling and thus cannot be counted.
He added that expatriate voters will have to cast their postal ballots around 18-20 days before the election. “Only those who are enlisted in the voter list will be able to vote in this election,” he said.
IRI Pre-Election Observation Team Meets EC Sanaullah
Regarding the confidentiality of votes, the Election Commissioner stressed the importance of maintaining the secrecy and purity of the vote. “Maintaining secrecy and purity of the vote is every voter’s responsibility. We must ensure that our ballot secrecy is not divulged in any way—neither on social media nor elsewhere,” he said.
Sanaullah advised expatriate voters who do not have their national identity cards to print out an online copy of their NID card to register for postal balloting in the upcoming election.
He also acknowledged that receiving one-time passwords (OTP) through SMS during registration has been a global issue. “But we hope we’ll be able to resolve the problem finally in time,” he said.
Challenges and Suggestions Raised by Expatriates and Officials
Expatriates and officials at Bangladeshi missions raised various problems and suggestions regarding the OCV in the upcoming general election, which is scheduled to take place in early February 2026.
EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, Director General of the EC’s NID Registration Wing ASM Humayun Kabir, and other senior officials were present at the meeting.
Key Points for Expatriate Voters
- Registration App Launch: The registration app for expatriate voters will be available on November 18.
- Postal Ballot Distribution: Postal ballots will be sent to foreign destinations a day after the announcement of the election schedule.
- Candidate List Finalization: The list of candidates will be finalized approximately three weeks before the election.
- Voting Timeline: Expatriate voters are required to cast their postal ballots 18-20 days before the election.
- Eligibility: Only those listed in the voter list will be eligible to vote.
- NID Card Requirement: Expatriate voters without a physical NID card should print an online copy for registration purposes.
- OTP Issues: Receiving OTPs via SMS is a known global challenge, but efforts are underway to resolve it.