Over 4,33,000 expatriates cast postal votes for February elections

More than 4,32,000 overseas voters have already cast their ballots in Bangladesh’s 13th general election and referendum.

The Election Commission (EC) reported that as of 10:30am on Wednesday (January 28), data from the ‘Postal Vote BD’ mobile app indicated that 7,66,862 postal ballots had been sent worldwide, with 4,99,328 received by expatriate voters. Among them, 4,32,989 voters have completed voting, and 3,79,579 ballots have been submitted via local post offices or mailboxes in their respective countries.

So far, 29,728 postal ballots have reached Bangladesh, the EC added.

Election officials said the mobile app, used for the first time to facilitate overseas voting, is enabling step-by-step tracking of ballot dispatch, receipt, voting, and return.

The EC has also emphasised coordination with postal services in host countries and digital updates to boost participation and ensure transparency.

Authorities expect a significant number of additional ballots to reach Bangladesh before the deadline.