EC suspends expat voter registration in seven countries

The Election Commission (EC) has temporarily suspended voter registration for expatriates in seven countries, including Saudi Arabia, citing incomplete or inaccurate address information.

The move affects registration through the ‘Postal Vote BD’ app for the upcoming 13th national parliamentary elections.

Other countries include Bahrain, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

Brigadier General (Retd.) Salim Ahmed Khan, team leader of the Out-of-Country Voting System and Implementation (OCV–SDI) project, confirmed that registration in Bahrain, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates has been paused, as postal ballot papers cannot be delivered without complete and correct addresses.

Expatriate registration began on November 19 and will continue until December 18. Over 51,000 expatriates have registered so far, and ballot papers will be sent to eligible voters at their provided addresses within the stipulated time.

Registration continues in other countries, including South Korea, Japan, South Africa, China, Egypt, Mozambique, Libya, Mauritius, Hong Kong, Brazil, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Liberia, Botswana, Kenya, Rwanda, Algeria, Angola, Tanzania, Somalia, Ghana, Guinea, Morocco, South Sudan, Chile, Sierra Leone, Ecuador, Taiwan, Argentina, Australia, the Central African Republic, Gambia, Peru, Zimbabwe, and the United States.

Meanwhile, residents of Bangladesh, including officials responsible for elections, government employees, and prisoners, can register from December 19 to December 23.