Over 223,000 Expatriates Registered So Far on Postal Vote BD App for 13th National Polls

At the start of the 20th day of registration on the Postal Vote BD app for expatriates wanting to vote in the 13th National Parliamentary Election, the total number of overseas registrations has surpassed 225,000. As of 9:30 am, 223,583 expatriates had applied, with 395 awaiting approval. Among the applicants, 20,119 were women. While Saudi Arabia leads in total registrations, the United States leads in the number of female expatriate applicants.

The Election Commission (EC) will send ballot papers to the registered expatriates’ addresses within the specified time.

According to information available on the EC website on Sunday morning (7 December), the highest number of registrations—51,633—came from expatriates in Saudi Arabia, including 291 women. From the United States, 19,594 expatriates applied, of whom 5,642 were women. Qatar saw 13,096 applications, including 193 women. The United Arab Emirates recorded 12,496 applications, with 157 women, while Malaysia accounted for 12,162 applicants, including 136 women.

Registration for expatriates began on 19 November and will continue until 25 December.

Countries where registration is ongoing include South Korea, Japan, South Africa, China, Egypt, Mozambique, Libya, Mauritius, Hong Kong, Brazil, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Liberia, Botswana, Kenya, Rwanda, Algeria, Angola, Tanzania, Somalia, Ghana, Guinea, Morocco, South Sudan, Chile, Sierra Leone, Ecuador, Taiwan, Argentina, Australia, Central African Republic, Gambia, Peru, Zimbabwe, the United States, among others. As of 9:30 am, the total number of registered expatriates stood at 223,226, and the number continues to rise every moment.

The EC stated that postal ballots will be mailed to the addresses of registered app users. After casting their votes, voters must return the ballot using the return envelope to the designated Returning Officer.

Notably, the Election Commission is preparing to hold the 13th National Parliamentary Election in the first half of February. The EC aims to engage five million expatriate voters in this process.

DBTech/POCV/EK/OR