17,000 Bangladeshi expats registered as voters: NID DG

City Desk:

17,367 Bangladeshi expatriates have become voters after they applied in Bangladeshi missions in nine overseas countries. “Until today, 48,080 Bangladeshis abroad have submitted applications to be registered voters through missions in these nine countries and 17,367 of them have already been registered,” Director General of the NID Registration Wing of the Election Commission, ASM Humayun Kabir, was quoted as saying on Tuesday, reports UNB.

He also stated that so far, 11,287 smart voter ID cards have been issued to the new voters.
NID registration centers are now being provided in 16 Bangladeshi embassies and consulates in nine countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Italy, Kuwait, Qatar, Malaysia, Australia, and Canada. It is the intention of the Election Commission to expand the service to 40 countries gradually. The NID registration center will soon be opened in five more countries: the United States, Oman, South Africa, Jordan, and the Maldives, Kabir said. In November 2019, the Election Commission initiated online registration in Malaysia on a pilot basis. The process was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened in July 2023 but was suspended again after August 2024 political disturbances.