The National Citizen Party (NCP) Diaspora Alliance has called on the Election Commission (EC) to publish a clear and comprehensive roadmap by August 14 for ensuring voting rights of Bangladeshi expatriates.
The demands were made at a virtual press conference on Sunday, attended by NCP Diaspora Alliance leaders from 40 countries.
Presenting the party’s position, Tariq Adnan Moon, NCP’s global coordinator (Operations), placed three specific demands, including the start of the expatriate voter registration process.
“The initiative must be taken by all Bangladeshi expatriates living across the globe,” Moon said.
The second demand is to ensure that postal ballots or online votes are accurately counted and incorporated into the election process in a timely and transparent manner.
The third one calls for the formation of a permanent high-level technical committee, which will work in coordination with diaspora stakeholders to implement voting rights for expatriates in the long term, including for elections beyond 2026.
To press home its demands, the organiser began an online campaign titled ‘Amar vote ami dibo, probash theke aongsho nibo,’ (I will be cast my vote; take part from abroad) between July 27 and August 13.
Besides, the unit will also send letters and memorandums to the Election Commission in this regard.
If the EC fails to address their demands by the deadline, the alliance will stage global protests between August 15 and 17, Moon said.