The Election Commission (EC) has recorded that 1,70,104 Bangladeshi expatriates have completed their registration for postal voting in the upcoming national election and referendum.
The registration was processed through the “Postal Vote BD” mobile application. As of Thursday noon, the data included 1,51,907 men and 18,197 women, according to the EC website.
Expatriates in Saudi Arabia registered the highest number at 27,002. They were followed by those in the United States at 18,893, Singapore at 10,371, the United Kingdom at 9,647, and South Korea at 9,434.
Other notable countries include Malaysia, Canada, the UAE, Australia, Japan, Qatar, Italy, Oman, and South Africa.
Salim Ahmad Khan, team leader of the Out-of-Country Voting (OCV) System Development and Implementation (SDI) project, said that the response has been positive.
“Reaching overseas Bangladeshis is our main priority. While cybersecurity remains a concern, we are addressing it as we move forward,” he said.
He added that as of Wednesday morning, about 435,000 expatriates had downloaded the app on Android devices, though full data on total downloads is not yet available.
To facilitate more enrolments, the EC has extended the registration deadline. The window for signing up via the app is now open until 25 December, instead of the earlier deadline of 18 December.
EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said, “The out-of-country voting registration period has been extended up to 25 December midnight (BST) to allow overseas Bangladeshis to register from anywhere in the world through the app.”
He also said that in-country postal voting (ICPV) will be introduced for government officials, voters in legal custody, and government employees stationed outside their constituencies. However, registration for ICPV will remain open for 15 days after the schedule is announced.
The Postal Vote BD app was inaugurated on 18 November for voters in 148 countries. Expatriates must use a local mobile number and provide a correct address to receive their ballot. The app is available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
