Bahrain ballot video was celebratory, not tampering: EC secretary

A video circulating on social media showing Bangladeshi expatriates in Bahrain sharing postal ballots has sparked concern and prompted an immediate inquiry by the Election Commission.

EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed explained that the footage, which shows several voters dividing ballots among themselves, stemmed from a moment of excitement and celebration at receiving the ballots, but no envelopes were opened. "The ballots were shared among voters so that everyone could collect theirs. Nothing was tampered with or opened," he said.

The 160 ballots in question had been delivered together in a single box at a Bahrain delivery point, a process Ahmed compared to leaving letters on a hostel table for students to collect individually. While acknowledging that filming the moment was inappropriate, he stressed that it was done in joy and shared afterwards. The matter has been reported to Bahrain Post, which is investigating whether proper procedures were followed, and Bangladesh's ambassador to Bahrain is overseeing the situation.

Ahmed noted that postal ballots are handled through the Universal Postal Union system, which differs from country to country, particularly in Middle Eastern nations.

In addition to the Bahrain issue, the Election Commission has been clearing the way for candidates to participate in the 13th national parliamentary election, scheduled for 12 February.

Over the past five days of hearings, 275 candidates have regained eligibility, including 72 whose appeals were approved today (14 January). On the day, the Commission heard a total of 100 petitions, approving 73, rejecting 17, and keeping 10 pending for later resolution. Overall, the Commission has heard 380 petitions so far and is expected to dispose of another 100 by 18 January, completing hearings on all 645 appeals.

Several high-profile appeals were addressed during the hearings. BNP candidate Monirul Haque Chowdhury of Cumilla-6 retained his candidacy after an appeal by independent candidate Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid, alleging that Monirul concealed bank loans and his wife's assets, which was rejected. Meanwhile, an appeal challenging BNP candidate AKM Kamruzzaman of Rajshahi-5 over dual citizenship remains pending, with a decision expected on 17 January.

In Cumilla-2, independent candidate Abdul Matin's nomination was upheld after a petition by BNP's Selim Bhuyan was rejected. Conversely, Jatiya Party candidate KM Mandal successfully challenged Bangladesh Supreme Party candidate Shefali Begum in Kurigram-4, resulting in her disqualification.

In total, 2,568 aspirants submitted nomination papers across the country's 300 constituencies by the 29 December deadline. Returning officers initially validated 1,842 nominations while 723 were declared invalid, with the appeals process now resolving remaining disputes. The Election Commission has assured that it will provide full support to international observers, including the European Union Election Observation Mission, which has deployed a core team of nearly 200 observers and 11 analysts to monitor the polls.

The deadline for withdrawal of candidacy is 20 January, and returning officers will publish the final list of candidates and allocate electoral symbols on 21 January. Election campaigning will run from 22 January until 7:30am on 10 February, with voting scheduled from 7:30am to 4:30pm on 12 February.

From 17 January, 56 long-term observers will be deployed across Bangladesh, and 90 short-term observers, along with diplomats and partner country representatives, will join to observe polling, counting, and tabulation. The EU mission will present an evidence-based, impartial assessment of the electoral process, release a preliminary report on 14 February, and publish a comprehensive final report after the election.

EC Secretary Ahmed reiterated that the government would extend all necessary cooperation to ensure the transparency and integrity of both domestic and overseas voting, emphasising that incidents like the Bahrain video, while unfortunate, do not compromise the process or the confidentiality of postal ballots.