National polls: EC extends expatriate voter registration deadline to 25 December
Anyone from anywhere in the world can register to vote by downloading the 'Postal Vote BD' app.
The Election Commission (EC) has extended the registration period for expatriates to register via the 'Postal Vote BD' app until 25 December, allowing them to cast their votes through postal ballots in the upcoming 13th national election and referendum.
Speaking to reporters at the EC headquarters in Dhaka's Agargaon today (1 December), EC Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said, "Regarding out-of-country voting, we had earlier said the deadline was till 18 December. This deadline has been extended till 25 December."
He added that anyone from anywhere in the world can register to vote by downloading the app.
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Akhtar also said the EC will start the registration process for In-Country Postal Voting (ICPV) in a 15-day period after the announcement of the election schedule.
"The In-Country Postal Voting process has also been introduced for government officials participating in the election process, voters in legal custody and government employees residing outside their own constituencies. About one million voters will benefit from this," he said.
According to the postal voting update information published on the EC website, a total of 1,23,089 expatriate voters have registered through the 'Postal Vote BD' app until 5pm today.
Among them, 1,06,906 are male voters and 16,183 are female voters.
Among the country-wise registrations, 18,114 voters were registered from the United States while 10,831 from Saudi Arabia, 9,389 from South Korea, 8,774 from Singapore, 8,609 from Canada, 7,480 from Australia, 7,016 from the United Kingdom, 6,798 from Japan, 5,224 from Italy and 4,725 from South Africa.
On 18 November, the chief election commissioner launched the 'Postal Vote BD' app.
To vote through postal ballots, expatriate voters must use the mobile number of the country from which they will vote. To register, first download and install the 'Postal Vote BD' app from the Google Play Store or App Store.
Users can view the necessary documents and instructions for registration on the app by selecting Bangla or English language.
Providing the correct address is essential to ensure receipt of the ballot abroad.
