Staff Reporter :
The Election Commission (EC) has submitted its opinions to the National Consensus Commission, opposing several proposed election reforms.
“Addressing Professor Ali Riaz, co-chair of the National Consensus Commission, we have sent our opinions, expressing differing views on certain proposals-it could be seven to eight or nine to ten,” said EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed while speaking to reporters at his office in the capital on Monday (17 March).
Meanwhile, in a separate meeting attended by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin, three election commissioners, and the EC secretary, the commission decided to seek assistance from member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to facilitate voting for expatriate Bangladeshis in the upcoming national election.
Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah informed reporters after a meeting with envoys from 10 OIC countries at Agargaon Nirbachan Bhavan on Monday.
He added, “We expect cooperation from OIC countries regarding the voting rights of Bangladeshis living abroad.”
Additionally, Akhtar Ahmed stated that the formation of a commission for constituency delimitation, as recommended by the reform commission, is unnecessary.
“We have raised different views on this matter,” he said, adding that the proposed formula of allowing a plus or minus 10 per cent variation in voter numbers for delimiting constituencies is also not required.
The EC argued that applying such a formula would lead to a significant increase in urban constituencies, creating an imbalance due to the high rate of migration to cities.
Commenting on other reform proposals, Ahmed mentioned that one suggestion requires the EC to issue a public notification within 48 hours of polling-before the official gazette publication-certifying the fairness, credibility, and acceptance of the national election.
However, the EC believes this is unnecessary, as returning officers do not announce unofficial election results unless they are satisfied with their accuracy.
Ahmed further emphasised that factors such as voter numbers, population distribution, and geographical integrity should be carefully considered in the electoral process.
Despite its disagreements on certain reforms, the EC agreed with the proposal to keep national identity services under its jurisdiction. Currently, the EC provides NID-related services to 186 organisations.
Regarding the meeting with OIC diplomats, Md Sanaullah stated, “The heads of missions from OIC member countries were invited as part of an ongoing dialogue with development partners and organisations.”
“We briefed them on our current activities, the democratic transition, and our preparations for the upcoming national elections. We also sought their support in facilitating voting for our expatriate citizens,” he added.
The election commissioner noted that the foreign diplomats shared their experiences with overseas voting systems.
Some ambassadors expressed their willingness to assist and send observers for the next national election, which the EC welcomed.
During the meeting, the EC presented its preparations, future action plans, and potential areas of cooperation.
“We aim to set a strong democratic precedent with our forward-looking action plans. We do not want to revert to past practices but rather move ahead to establish a robust democratic system,” Sanaullah said in response to a question.
Addressing the issue of expatriate voting, he stated that the EC had shortlisted three potential methods: postal voting, online voting, and proxy voting.
However, he acknowledged that the postal ballot system is currently ineffective. “We discussed online voting with the diplomats today,” he said.
Regarding online voting, the Egyptian ambassador shared that their experience was unfavourable, leading them to discontinue it.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani representative stated that although their initial trials were successful, they have not yet fully implemented online voting.
On proxy voting, Sanaullah explained that this system is in use in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, and is also employed in India for soldiers.
“In Bangladesh, individuals with physical disabilities can vote with assistance, and legal transactions such as selling property can be conducted through power of attorney.
If we aim to enable large-scale voting for our expatriates, proxy voting seems the only feasible option, as the other two methods can only be implemented on a pilot basis,” he stated.
Speaking to reporters, Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Mohd Shuhad Othman noted that a significant number of Bangladeshi expatriates reside in Malaysia.
“Malaysia supports all electoral reforms being undertaken by the Bangladesh government,” he said.
“Malaysia is also willing to share its experience, particularly regarding overseas voting, to ensure free, fair, and credible elections,” the envoy added.
Representatives from Algeria, Brunei Darussalam, Egypt, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates attended the meeting.
