Dhaka: The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday clarified a viral video showing a large number of postal ballots delivered to a single address in Bahrain, saying the incident resulted from differences in the country’s postal delivery system and did not involve any irregularities in the voting process. EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed made the clarification while responding to a question from reporters at Nirbachan Bhaban in the evening.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Akhtar Ahmed explained that Bangladesh’s postal ballots are being sent through the Universal Postal Union (UPU) with the assistance of the Bangladesh Postal Department. The incident in Bahrain occurred because the postal systems in some countries, including the Middle East, are different. In Bahrain, approximately 160 ballots were left at one location in a single box. Ahmed likened the system to student hostels, where mail is collected by the recipients from a designated area.
Akhtar Ahmed elaborated that the expatriate Bangladeshis in Bahrain divided the ballots among themselves, with individuals taking and delivering the ballots to those living nearby. He noted that a video of this process was recorded and circulated, likely out of excitement over receiving the ballot papers. He emphasized that there was no evidence of any envelope being opened in the video.
The matter was communicated to Bahrain Post, which clarified that they did not directly deliver the ballots. The Bangladesh Ambassador in Bahrain is overseeing the issue, and Bahrain Post has agreed to conduct an on-site investigation and report back.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) raised concerns before the Election Commission about the viral video. A four-member BNP delegation, led by Nazrul Islam Khan, chairman of the party’s Central Election Steering Committee, met with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin to discuss the issue.
Nazrul Islam Khan alleged irregularities in the distribution of postal ballots overseas, citing that videos on social media showed leaders of a particular political party handling a large number of ballot papers in Bahrain. The Election Commission informed the BNP that they were aware of the issue and had contacted the Bangladeshi Ambassador in Bahrain. They assured the BNP delegation that a further investigation would be conducted and appropriate action taken based on the findings.
A total of 1,533,683 voters have registered to vote through postal ballots, with approximately 772,000 being expatriate Bangladeshis residing in different countries. The 13th national parliamentary election is scheduled for February 12.