Dhaka: Over 51,000 Bangladeshis living abroad have registered to vote through a postal ballot system as the country, for the first time, opens overseas voting ahead of the 13th national election and the upcoming referendum.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the latest update on the Election Commission (EC) website shows that a total of 51,533 expatriates had completed registration through the ‘Postal Vote BD’ app as of 10:00 am today. Of these registrants, 43,646 are men and 7,887 are women.
The highest number of registrations came from the United States, with 10,335 voters, followed by South Korea with 8,889, Japan with 6,158, Canada with 5,865, Australia with 4,755, South Africa with 4,183, and China with 1,651.
The EC has now opened the app-based registration facility to Bangladeshis living in any country. In a statement issued Wednesday night, the Commission announced that the registration window would remain open worldwide from 12:01 am Bangladesh time on November 27 until 11:59 pm on December 18.
EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed explained that when the app was introduced on November 18, expatriates were placed into eight regions, each given a five-day registration slot. However, the restrictions have now been withdrawn for their convenience, allowing expatriates to register from anywhere in the world at any time during the announced period. Ahmed noted that the inclusion of overseas Bangladeshis in the voting process is a significant milestone in the country’s electoral history.