EC moves to ensure expats’ voting rights: Sanaullah

Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd.) Abul Fazal Mohammad Sanaullah has said the Election Commission (EC) is working tirelessly to ensure the voting rights of expatriate Bangladeshis, emphasizing that a significant portion of the nation’s electorate resides abroad.

“Inclusive elections cannot be achieved without incorporating them into the voting process,” he said during an online views-exchange meeting with overseas voters from Asia and Oceania on postal voting and the Out-of-Country Voting (OCV) system.

Sanaullah noted that about seven to eight percent of Bangladesh’s population lives abroad. “How can we have inclusive elections without including them? Voting is their right. The EC is striving to overcome its limitations, and if the process is implemented properly, expatriates will soon be able to exercise their voting rights,” he said.

The meeting, held via Zoom, was attended by senior Election Commission officials, representatives from Bangladesh’s foreign missions, and expatriate Bangladeshis, who discussed challenges and prospects of enabling overseas voting.

The Election Commissioner pointed out that although provisions for expatriate voting exist in law, overseas Bangladeshis have never been able to cast their votes in the country’s 54-year history.

“After the current government took office, the Chief Adviser, on December 16 last year, assured our overseas brothers and sisters that this time we want to ensure their voting rights. This is not just a promise—we are implementing it,” Sanaullah said.

He added that the EC has been working in several phases since December and has now reached the final stage of implementation. The ‘Postal Vote BD’ mobile application will be launched on November 18, marking a major step toward facilitating expatriate voting.

Through this IT-supported postal ballot system, registered expatriate voters will be able to cast their votes from abroad. “Once the app is launched, eligible voters who register will receive their ballot papers via the Bangladesh Post Office,” he added.