CEC Champions Expatriate Enfranchisement
A workshop titled “Determining the Voting Method for Expatriate Bangladeshis” is currently underway at the Election Training Institute in Agargaon, Dhaka, as part of the preparation for the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election. The event is being attended by all four Election Commissioners and senior secretaries of the Election Commission (EC), focusing on the technical aspects of three potential voting methods for expatriates: online, postal, and proxy voting.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A. M. M. Nasir Uddin emphasized the importance of ensuring voting rights for Bangladeshis living abroad. “We are prioritizing the issue of ensuring voting rights for expatriate Bangladeshis,” he said in his address to the participants.
During the keynote presentation, Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah suggested that proxy voting may be the most feasible method, saying, “Postal and online voting may not be effective in our context. Proxy voting seems more appropriate.”
The workshop saw participation from around 80 experts and stakeholders, including professors from the Computer Science and Engineering departments of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), University of Dhaka, and the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), along with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division, Postal and Telecommunications Division, Office of the Registrar General for Birth and Death Registration, EC’s ICT division, field-level officials, UNDP, BASIS, and several private sector technology experts.
Special guests included Professor Dr. ABM Alim Al Islam and Dr. Anindya Iqbal from BUET, Professor Dr. Md. Mostafizur Rahman and Dr. Mamun Or Rashid from Dhaka University, Brigadier General Md. Mahfuzul Karim Majumder, Head of CSE at MIST, as well as Lieutenant Colonels Muhammad Nazrul Islam and Md. Abul Bashar. Monirul Islam from Synesis IT and Andris Withmuller, Chief Operating Officer of Relief Validation Limited, also attended.
The CEC called on participants to give precise and constructive opinions. “We are working with three methods: postal voting, which is already in use; online voting; and proxy voting, which is practiced in the corporate sector. But to proceed, we must consider the social and political realities, the educational qualifications of voters, and the specific circumstances of expatriates,” he said. “Whatever approach we adopt, we must begin with a pilot program on a small scale before expanding.”
He further stated, “Like the caretaker government, the EC is committed to enabling expatriate Bangladeshis to vote in the upcoming election. Whichever method we pursue, it will have to go through a phased process—starting with pilot testing and limited rollout before wider implementation.”
Commissioner Sanaullah reiterated the commission’s focus on proxy voting, stating, “If finalized, this system will allow expatriates to authorize their relatives to vote on their behalf.”
