Tk40cr project approval nod in Finance Ministry for Feb polls

Staff Reporter:

The Ministry of Finance has approved around Tk40 crore to fund a project that will allow Bangladeshi expatriates to participate in the upcoming national election.

The allocation, made on 12 October, follows a September request from the Election Commission (EC) to launch the Out of Country Voting (OCV) System Development and Implementation (SDI) Project.

Officials said the approval came after the interim government decided to grant voting rights to non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs), a long-standing demand of the diaspora.

Under the EC’s plan, expatriate voting will first be piloted in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, the UAE, and the UK, with voting booths set up at Bangladesh embassies. Voters will register online in advance and verify their passports and National ID cards on the day of voting.

The EC noted that while nearly 13 crore National ID cards have been issued, there is no updated record of how many holders live abroad.

Historically, postal ballot voting has proven ineffective due to time constraints, with no verified overseas votes recorded.

To address this, the Election System Reform Commission has proposed a technology-assisted postal voting system and an online internet voting option. The EC is also considering a proxy voting system.

NID services for expatriates have already been launched in 11 countries, with plans to expand to eight more ahead of the election. A registration app is expected to be operational by late October or early November.

Currently, registration is ongoing in New York and Washington, soon extending to Miami and Los Angeles, while technical teams are preparing for deployment in Oman, South Africa, the Maldives, and Jordan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also approved similar initiatives in Bahrain, Singapore, France, and Spain.

Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said the government will spend Tk700 per expatriate voter, stressing that participation will be free for voters.

He highlighted global challenges, including low registration and turnout rates, postal ballot wastage of around 24 percent, and the need to ensure ballot secrecy and timely return of votes.
The EC is expected to announce the poll schedule in December, with the general election likely in the first half of February, before Ramadan.