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Election Commissioner Brigadier General Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah (Retd) on Wednesday said expatriates will be included in the voting process, regardless of the method used.
“A team of experts will be formed within today (Wednesday) to consult on the issue,” he revealed at a press conference at the Election Commission’s Media Center in the capital’s Agargaon area.
Mentioning that various methods will be required to ensure the voting rights of expatriates, he affirmed that expatriates must be included in the next national elections, no matter the approach taken, reports BSS.
The Election Commissioner said the Chief Adviser had first mentioned granting voting rights to expatriates, and therefore, the Election Commission (EC) has also borne this expectation.
“We’ve studied 178 countries and found that 115 of them have made provisions for expatriate voting. The most common methods are embassy-based voting, followed by postal ballots, and then online or proxy voting,” he said.
Sanaullah continued, explaining that due to the widespread existence of Bangladeshi expatriates, scope of embassy-based voting is limited. For this reason, he said, the EC has focused on three possible methods: postal ballots, online voting, and proxy voting, and each method has its advantages and limitations.
Following discussions within the commission, he said, the EC held a workshop yesterday with election, law, and technical experts, as well as representatives from various organisations, including Dhaka University (DU), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), the Ministry of Social Welfare, and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.
In total, 10 teams presented their proposals there. Out of the 10 presentations, the EC assessed the pros and cons of the three methods.
Sanaullah said online voting has not yet gained widespread acceptance although some countries have been using it for four to five years.
Mentioning that further fine-tune is necessary to refine the methods discussed in the workshop, he said the next step is to establish an advisory team to review the findings.
“The team will evaluate the successes and limitations of the three methods and propose ways to address the challenges. After that, we will meet with stakeholders,” he said, adding, “Whatever we do, we have to customize it within the time we get. So if we don’t get time, it will not be possible to implement. For this reason, we aren’t wasting a single day.”
The Election Commissioner expressed hope that expatriates will be included in the voting process this time, but clarified that the final method will be determined after the technical team’s review.
Regarding proxy voting, the Commissioner stated, “If we want to include all voters, proxy voting may be the only viable option. Our position on this matter remains unchanged. Many have pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of proxy voting, and the same applies to other methods. We aren’t favouring any one option.”
He emphasised that no single method is applicable to Bangladesh, and a combination of options may be necessary. “If we can implement all three methods, we will. Additionally, voter registration will be conducted online, regardless of the voting method.”
The commissioner also noted that the effectiveness of each method will depend on the country from which the expatriate intends to vote. Implementing online voting will require more time and resources, he said.
Sanaullah reaffirmed, “We must find a way to bring expatriate Bangladeshis into the voting process, despite the limitations of each method.”
“Approximately 25 countries already use proxy voting, and if we choose to proceed, we must find ways to mitigate the challenges posed by all methods,” he ended.