Dhaka: Senior Secretary of the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat Akhtar Ahmed today announced that voter registration and National Identity Card (NID) services for expatriate Bangladeshis are currently in progress at 21 stations across 11 countries. The initiative, aimed at facilitating the participation of overseas Bangladeshis in the democratic process, is being implemented at multiple locations, including two stations each in Australia and Canada, four in the United States, and three in the United Kingdom.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the registration activities will eventually be expanded to all countries hosting Bangladeshi embassies. Akhtar Ahmed highlighted that many expatriates already possess NIDs as it is a requirement for obtaining passports. However, those who have not registered as voters will soon have the opportunity to do so through a new mobile application, set to be launched on November 16.
The EC Secretary emphasized that, for the first time, expatriate Bangladeshis will have the option to vote via postal ballots. Those who register using the 'Postal Vote BD' app will be eligible to participate in this new voting method. The app is currently in its trial phase and will be officially inaugurated on November 16. Expatriates must first register as voters and subsequently as postal voters to utilize this service.
He further clarified that only individuals aged 18 years or above are eligible to register as voters. On the topic of new political party registration, Akhtar Ahmed stated that the EC is reviewing the applications and aims to finalize the process within the week.