Postal ballot results to be counted on polling day: EC
Staff Reporter :
The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday cautioned the public against misleading information circulating on social media regarding postal ballot results, clarifying that there is no scope to know the outcome before the official counting time.
The EC stated that postal ballots would be counted alongside regular ballots after 4:30pm on election day. It emphasised that results cannot be known prior to this stipulated time.
The commission urged citizens not to be misled by any false or speculative claims related to postal voting results.
The EC further said that a total of 1,533,000 voters registered to vote through postal ballots, including expatriate voters and three categories of domestic voters.
Expatriate voters have already cast their ballots, while government officials engaged in election duties, members of law enforcement agencies, and prisoners are currently voting through postal ballots inside the country.
Earlier, on 27 January, the EC informed that 493,920 expatriate voters had completed voting. As of Thursday, nearly 400,000 postal ballots from expatriates have already reached Bangladesh.
Ballot papers for the upcoming national election have already been delivered to 116 parliamentary constituencies, while the remaining ballots will be dispatched by 7 February, the Election Commission said on Thursday.
EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed made the remarks while speaking to journalists after a meeting with representatives of the European Union (EU).
He said ballot delivery faced slight delays in some constituencies due to court orders and last-minute reinstatement of candidacies, which required reprinting. However, he expressed confidence that overall preparations would be completed within schedule.
Identifying misinformation as a major challenge, Akhtar Ahmed said the EC is in discussions with Meta authorities to remove misleading and aggressive content from social media platforms. He also clarified that the commission does not support any move to slow down internet speed.
Regarding security, he said a coordinated deployment plan involving the army, police, and Ansar members is already in effect, with the army deployed in the field.
On foreign observers, the EC secretary said the commission did not seek any specific observations from them. They were mainly briefed on election preparations and security measures.