Expatriates' postal ballots to be counted centre-wise on polling day: EC Sanaullah

Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah has said expatriates' votes will be counted centre‑wise on polling day, with ballots collected by the postal department in Dhaka and delivered to the respective returning officers.

"We have designed a specific and secured method. The registration app for expatriate voters will be launched on 18 November, and ballots must be cast and returned within the stipulated time. If ballots do not reach before the deadline, they will not be counted," Sanaullah said during a virtual discussion with embassy and mission officials today (10 November).

The meeting, held at Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon, was attended by EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, Director General of the NID Registration Wing ASM Humayun Kabir, and other senior officials.

Sanaullah urged expatriates to provide accurate information during registration and to vote promptly once the final candidate list and election symbols are announced. 

He also called on embassy officials to inform communities abroad about the process.

Highlighting challenges, he said, "The first challenge is novelty. Globally, expatriate voting usually undergoes long trials, but we have moved quickly to meet expectations. As a result, we did not get adequate trial time. Small problems may arise, but secrecy of the vote must be maintained."

He noted that expatriate voters will need to cast their postal ballots 18–20 days before the election to ensure timely arrival. "Only those enlisted in the voter list will be able to vote," he added.

Sanaullah also acknowledged technical hurdles, including difficulties in receiving one‑time passwords (OTP) via SMS during registration, but expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved.

The Election Commission is preparing to announce the election schedule in December, aiming to hold the national parliamentary polls in the first half of February.