Nearly 21,000 Bangladeshis abroad register for postal voting

A total of 20,932 Bangladeshi expatriates have registered so far to cast their ballots through the "Postal Vote BD" app for the upcoming 13th national election, according to an update published on the Election Commission's (EC) website this morning.

Of them, 19,063 are male while 1,869 are female. Of the total applications, 20,795 expatriates have already been approved by the EC, as per the website's report as of 12:00pm.

In the first phase of registration, expatriates in South Korea are leading. By district, Dhaka has the highest number of registered expatriate voters. And in terms of constituencies, expatriates from Chapainawabganj-3 are ahead.

The EC will send ballot papers to registered voters at their overseas addresses within the set timeframe, as only registered expatriates can cast their votes.

On November 18, the EC launched the app, enabling Bangladeshis living abroad to cast their votes for the upcoming election scheduled for February.

Through the app, Bangladeshis in 140 countries can register as postal voters. Once registered, they will receive ballot papers marked with electoral symbols and can cast their votes by mail.

The system also covers election officials on duty, government employees posted outside their constituencies, and voters in legal custody.

Registration for expatriate Bangladeshis began on November 19 and will continue until December 23, divided into seven regional windows.

Bangladeshis in East Asia, South America, and Africa will register between November 19 and 23, which was later extended until November 28; North America and Oceania between November 24 and 28; Europe from November 29 to December 3; the Middle East between December 4 and 8; South and Southeast Asia from December 9 to 13; and the Middle East excluding Saudi Arabia from December 14 to 18.

Government officials, election duty officers, and individuals in custody will be able to register between December 19 and 23.