For the upcoming 13th national parliamentary election and referendum, overseas Bangladeshis will be able to cast their votes via postal ballot for the first time. According to the Election Commission (EC) website, by 8:00 pm on Tuesday, a total of 32,811 expatriate voters from East Asia, Africa, South America, North America, and Oceania had registered through the ‘Postal Vote BD’ app.
Among the registrants, 28,516 are male and 4,295 female voters. Country-wise registration shows 8,558 in South Korea, 5,792 in Japan, 4,487 in the United States, 3,656 in South Africa, 2,958 in Australia, 2,758 in Canada, and 1,555 in China.
Senior Secretary of the EC Secretariat, Akhtar Ahmed, said that providing overseas Bangladeshis with the right to vote is a historic step for the country. Additionally, in-country postal voting (ICPv) has been introduced for government officials, voters under legal custody, and civil servants away from their registered constituencies, benefiting nearly one million voters.
The Chief Election Commissioner inaugurated the ‘Postal Vote BD’ app on 18 November and announced the registration schedule for voters in 148 countries. The first phase ran from 19 to 23 November for East Asia, Africa, and South America; the second phase from 24 to 28 November for North America and Oceania; 21 November to 3 December for Europe; 4 to 8 December for Saudi Arabia; 9 to 13 December for South and South-East Asia; and 14 to 18 December for other Middle Eastern countries.
Expatriate voters must use a local mobile number from the country where they intend to vote. The ‘Postal Vote BD’ app can be downloaded from Google Play Store or App Store. Users can select either Bengali or English, view required documents, and follow registration instructions. Accurate addresses are essential to ensure ballot receipt abroad.
GLIVE/TSN