Dhaka [Bangladesh], February 12 (HBTV): More than half a million Bangladeshi expatriates have exercised their franchise through postal ballots ahead of the country’s 13th National Parliamentary Election and referendum, marking the first time overseas voters have formally taken part in a national election, Dhaka Tribune reported.
Citing Election Commission (EC) data, the report said that as of 9:15 am (local time) on Wednesday, 515,619 expatriates had successfully cast their votes using the IT-enabled postal voting system.
Salim Ahmad Khan, team leader of the OCV-SDI project overseeing expatriate voter registration, said 766,862 ballots were dispatched abroad to voters who registered via the Postal Vote BD app. Among them, 528,579 voters received their ballots and 515,619 completed the voting process.
He added that 573,722 expatriates submitted their ballots at post offices or designated post boxes in their respective countries. Of these, 444,033 completed ballots have so far been received by the relevant returning officers in Bangladesh.
In total, 1,096,284 postal votes have been cast so far, including expatriates, election-duty officials and eligible prisoners, according to the report.
Within Bangladesh, 768,098 registered voters received postal ballots. Of them, 610,065 received the documents and 586,066 completed voting. So far, 561,013 voters have deposited their ballots, while 438,095 have been delivered to returning officers, as per Dhaka Tribune.
The Postal Vote BD website shows that 1,533,684 voters, both at home and abroad, registered to vote by post in the upcoming parliamentary election and referendum, the report added.
Voting is scheduled for February 12 in Bangladesh, with results expected to be confirmed on Friday, February 13.
The election comes at a crucial time in the country’s political landscape, with the Awami League banned from participating. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat, which is leading an alliance with the National Citizen Party (NCP) along with other parties on a seat-sharing basis, are among the key contenders.
The February 12 national polls are being held nearly two years after the July Uprising in 2024, which led to the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. A constitutional referendum on the July National Charter is also scheduled for the same day.
According to the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing, 394 international election observers and 197 foreign journalists have arrived in the country to observe the 13th general election. Of the observers, 240 are from bilateral countries, including independent European observers, while 51 are affiliated with various global institutions.
(ANI)