No evidence of postal ballot irregularities, says EC amid BNP, Jamaat concerns
BNP raises concerns over handling of ballots while Jamaat says it has no role abroad
The Election Commission today (15 January) said it found no evidence of irregularities in the distribution of postal ballots sent to expatriate voters, following the circulation of videos on social media showing multiple ballot envelopes at a residence in Bahrain.
The clarification came amid growing political reactions, with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami separately raising concerns and rejecting allegations over the viral footage related to expatriate voting in the upcoming 13th national parliamentary election.
The videos, which show several individuals handling a large number of postal ballot envelopes bearing Bahrain addresses, prompted the parties to seek explanations from the Election Commission, while the EC maintained that ballot secrecy had not been breached and warned that no irregularities would be tolerated.
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Following the spread of the footage, BNP leaders demanded explanations and legal action over the handling of postal ballots for expatriate voters.
Today, separate BNP and Jamaat delegations met the Chief Election Commissioner at Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon.
After the meeting, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, who led the party delegation, told reporters that the party remained concerned about how postal ballots for expatriates were being handled.
"The people involved in preparing, sending, and overseeing these postal ballots must explain their actions. The Election Commission must also clarify its position," he said.
He alleged that videos circulating on social media showed hundreds of ballots at single residences, ballots being seized in some places, and claims that voting had begun before the scheduled date of 22 January, the day after symbol allocation.
He also claimed there were allegations of ballots being received by individuals using others' identification.
Salahuddin said that while some shortcomings could occur as expatriate voting was being introduced for the first time, allegations of favouring a particular political side were serious and required a clear response from the Election Commission.
Later in the afternoon, a Jamaat-e-Islami delegation led by its central Assistant Secretary General AHM Hamidur Rahman also met the chief election commissioner.
Speaking to journalists afterward, Hamidur Rahman said allegations linking Jamaat to postal ballot irregularities abroad were completely false.
"Jamaat-e-Islami has no organisational unit in Bahrain or abroad. Where there is no party committee, the question of organisational involvement does not arise," he said.
EC response
At a briefing at Nirbachan Bhaban today, Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said the Commission had reviewed several video clips, including one from Bahrain recorded on 11 January, and found no evidence of irregularities.
He said in the Bahrain case, postal workers had left ballot envelopes at a single location after expatriate voters requested delivery to a colleague while they were at work. Following the incident, most of the ballots were returned to the embassy, and postal authorities were instructed to deliver ballots directly to individual voters.
"We have made it clear to everyone that electoral integrity cannot be compromised under any circumstances. If anyone is found involved in even minor irregularities, criminal charges will be filed, NIDs will be blocked, and repatriation may be considered if necessary," Sanaullah said.
He added that the Election Commission would show no leniency over postal ballots and dismissed claims that the Commission was inactive.
Sanaullah also said some ballots were being returned undelivered due to incorrect addresses abroad. So far, 4,521 ballots have been returned, mostly from Malaysia, followed by Italy.
Earlier, the Election Commission issued a press release, signed by its Public Relations Director Md Ruhul Amin Mallik, explaining that 160 ballot envelopes were initially handed to one individual in Bahrain for distribution at the request of voters. Of those, 129 unopened envelopes were later returned to the embassy for proper delivery through postal authorities.
The Election Commission reiterated that it was closely monitoring the postal voting process and would take action if any violations were detected.
