Expat voter brings ballot home, finds no legal way to submit it
Regarding the matter, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said that under the current legal framework, expatriate ballots must be sent from abroad by post
A Bangladeshi voter who registered for a postal ballot while living in Australia is now unable to cast his vote after returning to the country.
Mohammad Fazle Rabbi, a voter from Lakshmipur-2 (Raipur) constituency, had applied for a postal ballot while residing abroad. The Election Commission sent him a ballot by post. However, after returning to Bangladesh for personal reasons, he found there was no mechanism to submit the ballot.
"There was no plan to return to Bangladesh when I applied. I brought the ballot with me because leaving it there would have been pointless. I hoped I could submit it here, but now I am stuck. I want to vote, and I hope the Election Commission can find a solution," Fazle Rabbi told The Business Standard.
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Regarding the matter, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said that under the current legal framework, expatriate ballots must be sent from abroad by post.
"Even if a voter returns to the country after registering for a postal ballot, they cannot vote directly," he explained.
The commissioner went on to say, "The ballot also cannot be submitted to the returning officer. It is unfortunate, but this is the reality under existing law."
A total of 1,533,682 voters have registered for postal voting in the upcoming 13th National Parliament election and referendum, including 772,542 from abroad and 761,140 within Bangladesh. Expatriate voters fall under the Out of Country Voting (OCV) system, while domestic postal voters are classified as In Country Postal Voting (ICPV).
Ballots for OCV voters only display party or independent candidate symbols, while ballots for ICPV voters include both the candidate's name and symbol. In both cases, voters mark a blank space to indicate their choice.
The Election Commission has instructed all postal voters to submit their ballots promptly through the nearest post office or post box. All ballots must reach the concerned returning officer by 4:30pm on 12 February 2026. Even a one-minute delay will render the vote invalid.
