Political parties’ support vital for expat voting success: CEC
“We want to move forward with everyone’s advice. But if political leaders do not support us, all our efforts will be in vain,” says AMM Nasir Uddin
Highlights:
- Expatriate voting needs political party support, says CEC
- Postal, online, and proxy voting options are being considered
- Seminar held with 21 political party representatives, experts to gather feedback
- DU, Buet, and MIST submitted feasibility reports to EC
- Estimated 1.32 crore Bangladeshi expatriates worldwide
- Key issues: transparency, security, legal, and logistical challenges
All efforts by the Election Commission (EC) to introduce effective voting methods for expatriates will be futile without the support of political parties, said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin.
He made the remarks while inaugurating a seminar with stakeholders at the Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka's Agargaon today (29 April). Representatives from several political parties, including the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and National Citizen Party, were present.
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The EC arranged the seminar to find an effective mechanism to ensure the voting rights of expatriate Bangladeshis in the next general election.
"We want to introduce a feasible option. We seek your support. Even on a small scale, we want to begin the journey. We want to move forward with everyone's advice. But if political leaders do not support us, all our efforts will be in vain," the CEC said.
He stressed that support from all stakeholders was crucial in determining a suitable method for expatriate voting.
The current EC is considering options such as postal ballots, online voting, and proxy voting for implementation on a limited scale in the upcoming 13th national parliamentary elections.
"When we took responsibility, we immediately started working on arrangements for expatriate Bangladeshis to vote. We are committed, and so is the chief adviser to the nation," said the CEC.
He noted that expatriates had consistently demanded voting rights, a view echoed by political leaders and the media.
"We have been working on this from the beginning—conducting in-house exercises, consulting experts, and trying to determine the most suitable option to introduce," he said.
The CEC stressed the importance of aligning decisions with the country's socio-economic and political realities and the general education level of the population.
"Our experts have worked tirelessly over the past few months and provided some suggestions. Amid time constraints and limitations, we want to share with you where we stand and what we have done."
He called upon participants to provide opinions at the seminar and submit written feedback later. He said the EC's work would also be communicated to the public through prominent citizens.
Expressing determination to introduce expatriate voting, even on a small scale, the CEC said, "We want to start in the next election, at least in a limited way. Many countries have tried but could not sustain it. Some succeeded, some did not. We want to begin—hopefully with your support."
In his address to the nation on 16 December, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus reaffirmed the government's commitment to ensuring expatriate voting rights.
Following the chief adviser's commitment, the EC formed a committee to examine various balloting systems. To identify the best method, the EC earlier held a workshop on 7 and 8 April with experts from Dhaka University, Buet, Military Institute of Science and Technology, different ministries, and former EC officials.
Following the workshop, the EC Secretariat formed an advisory team comprising election technologists to further study the methods. MIST, DU, and BUET submitted separate reports to the commission, outlining the possible challenges, requirements, and limitations of each method.
Their reports also covered the timeframe needed for preparation, financial resources required, and recommendations for piloting before the next general election.
Although exact data is not available, the EC has collected information from 44 Bangladeshi missions in 34 countries. The estimated number of expatriate Bangladeshis is currently 1.32 crore.
The CEC stressed the need to align any decision with the country's socio-economic and political realities, as well as the general education level of the population.
"Our experts have worked tirelessly over the past few months and provided some suggestions. Amid time constraints and limitations, we want to share with you where we stand and what we have done."
Issues prioritised in the seminar discussions include ensuring transparency in the expatriate voting process, system design and technical feasibility, determining and implementing appropriate security measures, maintaining international standards, and addressing legal, logistical, and operational challenges.
The CEC called upon all stakeholders to share their views during the seminar and to submit written opinions afterwards. He said the EC's work would also be conveyed to the public through prominent citizens.
Representatives from 21 parties attended the seminar, alongside election experts, technical specialists, journalists, and members of civil society.
BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan led the party delegation, which also included Ismail Zabiullah, Syed Emran Saleh Prince, and Shayrul Kabir Khan of the BNP Chairperson's Press Wing.
Representatives from the LDP, CPB, JSD, Bangladesh Muslim League, NPP, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Khelafat Majlish, Sangskriti Muktijot, NDM, Bangladesh Congress, Bangladesh Jasad, AB Party, Gonodhikar Parishad, Nagorik Oikya, Gonosonghoti Andolan, Bangladesh Development Party, and Bangladesh Jatiya Party were present.
Representatives from unregistered parties such as Jamaat-e-Islami, NCP, Bangladesh Rashtra Sanskar Andolan, and the Bangladesh Labour Party also reportedly joined.
