Stern warning against those spreading rumours over postal ballot results: EC

The Bangladesh Election Commission has issued a strong warning against the spread of misleading information regarding postal ballot results ahead of the upcoming national parliamentary election.

The commission said there is no legal or technical scope to count votes or know any results before the officially scheduled time. The warning was issued through an emergency notice on Thursday, February 5.

According to the EC, various forms of misinformation regarding postal ballot results are being circulated on different social media platforms. In reality, postal ballots will be counted together with regular votes after 4:30 pm on polling day. There is no opportunity to access results before that time.

The commission said any advance claims or campaigns regarding postal ballot results are completely false and baseless. To identify those deliberately spreading rumours to disrupt the electoral environment, the EC’s cyber monitoring team has already begun work.

The EC warned that strict legal action will be taken against anyone involved in such activities. It also urged the public not to be misled by any unverified information, reiterating that it is impossible to know postal ballot results before 4:30 pm.